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The Discipline of the Lord
By George Stroh
December 9, 2017

For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:30-32

God loves His children even when they sin against Him; Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Romans 8:35 Because of His unceasing love for us, His desire is for us to stop sinning and be conformed to the character of Jesus Christ. Sometimes this requires His loving disciple; Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Deuteronomy 8:5

God's discipline is meted out perfectly-- never overly severe, but always sufficiently severe to produce righteous behavior and holiness in us. Reverend James Smith wrote, "He makes the rod beneficial to us. He corrects us, not for His pleasure, but for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. He uses the rod...to convince us of our folly, to keep us sensible of His authority, to make us smart for our inconsistencies, to bring us to repentance, and to make us cautious, tender, and humble." (Divine Chastening 1859)

And have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines. And He scourges every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:5-6

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:11 Maranatha!