No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11 NIV
Context:
The writer of Hebrews addresses different parts of the Christian walk. This chapter starts with a lesson on the value of walking with God and being open to his dealings as a child of his. There is a grave danger that is brewing these days, and it is the risk of raising pampered, entitled and self-centred children. We have moved from the days when it was okay to scold or correct a child, to times where we just keep quiet and pray that the child knows and does what is right. How do I know truth if it is not shown or taught to me?
Discipline is now being presented as a negative word. We want to find more acceptable terms for it, but if it is to serve the purpose for which it was instituted by God, it must work as God intends. Why does God speak a lot about discipline from his own perspective? What value does it hold for me as a child of God?
Message and Response:
At the heart of discipline is a heart of love. As an earthly parent, I show that I love my child when I am quick and willing to correct wrong behaviour. If I keep quiet and refuse or neglect to correct bad behaviour, I am saying it is okay for the child to engage in that bad behaviour. I cannot then wait until the child is older to complain that the child is rebellious and disobedient. The same applies to God: he cannot afford to keep quiet when we do wrong, because it is his name that we bear that is at stake here.
Discipline is also a seed. It is planted towards an expected harvest of a life of impact. At the time it is planted, it is not pleasant. No child loves it at the time, and most children may actively resist it. But the benefits are seen in the lives of all who were impacted by it in a good way. You cannot be looking for a good harvest in a place where you have not sown anything good. If I will harvest righteousness, I must have sown the type of fruit that will guarantee that harvest. What am I sowing at the moment?
And I must allow the process of time to perfect its work in me. The benefits of discipline may not be seen in the immediate, which is why we do not do it once and then stop. It is a continuous process, a life long commitment. As an earthly parent never stops wishing his or her child well, so does God not stop doing all he can to ensure that we end well.
For me as a child of God, I do not become perfect overnight. I submit to the pain and the process, as God's nature of peace and righteousness is birthed and sustained in me. I do not learn all of God at once; in fact, an entire lifetime is not enough to know all about God, and that is why I must allow God to deal with whatever it is in me that will not lead to his full expression in me.
Training takes time and effort, but the benefits and blessings attached to it make the process and sacrifice worth it. God does not place a burden on a man he has not trained, and he makes no demand on a man who has not submitted to the process. If I submit to God, I am saying to him that I will submit to his discipline. If I surrender my life to God, I am saying that I will embrace whatever lessons he wants me to learn, so that I can partake of his divine nature. That must be the default setting for every one who claims to be a child of God. God has to run the rule over my life so I can be all he has created, gifted and planted me to be. Would i let him? Would you? His time of favour is here.
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