“They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.”

Most of us will have had a human father or at least a father figure. For some that will be our biological father for others it may have been someone different. Whoever our earthly father is or was, as we grew they disciplined us. The dictionary defines discipline as ‘training people to obey rules or codes of behaviour using punishment to correct disobedience’. When I read that I thought ‘yuck’. But then I thought what would life be like without it…… anarchy!  Even worse!

God’s discipline can be hard to understand because we primarily know Him as a loving father.  His discipline is instruction, training, rebuke, reproof, warning, and correction. God disciplines his people through his word, through their experiences and through punishment so that they may live in ways pleasing to him.  I was very lucky to have a very loving earthly father too. But he also disciplined me. He removed privileges, he gave me chores to do, over and above  what was normal and occasionally I was smacked.  That didn’t make me love him any less and now with over half my life lived I know that his discipline benefited me. I don’t think I would’ve said so at the time. I can also look back and see now where God disciplined me. Through those experiences I have grown as a Christian, as a daughter, a wife, a mother…. you get the idea.  I don’t resent God for those experiences. I accept that I needed that discipline both earthly and divine.  I know that I want to share in His holiness, to be more Christ like in the way I live my life.  To that end I fully expect and accept that I will be disciplined again. I don’t always like to conform to the world but I know I want to conform to God’s will and heavenly world.

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Application: 

Do you accept discipline easily, resentfully or with great difficulty. Do you recognise Gods’ discipline when it is being meted out?  Spend time recalling the times in your life when you were under Gods’ discipline and consider the impact it had on you and those around you.

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father I give you thanks for the times of hardship, ill health and other ways in which you have disciplined me. I want to share in Your holiness and accept that I need to grow and learn your ways in order for me to do this. Would you strengthen me to endure all that I must in order that I can live the life You have ordained me to live. In Jesus name. Amen.