The blessings of God's discipline

Last night's Bible study at the Love In Action warehouse was another good one with 30 in attendance. After being gone for one week, it was nice being back at Bible study and seeing everyone. They told Martha and me they missed us and were glad we were back.

The theme of the lesson was "Chastening." We looked at how God will chasten or discipline us. He does so because like a good father will discipline his child, God will do the same to us because He loves us. God doesn't want us doing the wrong things.

I shared an example from my childhood. I set the woods on fire one time as a child, and my dad administered some discipline. In addition to being grounded for what seemed like eternity, I received a memorable spanking. Why? Because my dad loved me and what I did was bad. I could have put a lot of people's lives and homes in danger. Thankfully the fire was put out before it go out of control. My dad didn't want me putting myself or others in danger like that. Believe me, after I was disciplined, I didn't even want to strike a match. Lesson learned.

God will discipline His children. He loves us. He wants us to stay out of harm's way. Some times you hear how Christianity is a religion of "cannots." You cannot do this. You cannot do that. The Ten Commandments won't let you do anything.

Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Secondly, we can do a lot. We can live for God and allow Him to work through us to change other people's lives. We can be in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. We can have everlasting life in Heaven with God. We can live with peace and joy in a world filled with fear and sadness. Those are just some of the things we "can" do as Christians.

The Ten Commandments are awesome! One reason God gave them to us is He wants to keep us safe. Let's look at just a few of them. "You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal." What happens when people murder and/or steal? They go to prison. For murder in some states, they could be sentenced to death. How about adultery? In addition to it being a sin, it will cause tremendous emotional suffering to loved ones and to the ones who commit the adulterous act. It can also get the adulterers killed. As an editor, I can't tell you how many murders we have covered because a man got caught sleeping with another man's wife, or a woman got caught sleeping with another woman's husband.

See how not doing those things will keep us safe?

Some of the people at the Bible study last night shared how through being disciplined for the things they have done wrong they gained wisdom. Yet another benefit of discipline. They also shared that if they hadn't been caught doing a crime and put in jail, they would not have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and would probably be dead today and spending eternity in Hell.

God tells us not to reject His discipline. "My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." - Proverbs 3:11-12 (NIV)

As I was teaching, the Holy Spirit led me to share an illustration I had not thought of or planned prior to the Bible study. When Jesus was on the cross, there were two criminals on either side of him. One of the criminals insulted Jesus and said, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" - Luke 23:39 (NIV) He didn't receive the discipline that was given him and he rejected Jesus. He was wanting to be taken off the cross and not have to pay for his crime.

However, the other criminal received his discipline. He knew he deserved what he was getting. Therefore, he gained wisdom through that and saw Jesus for who He is - the one and only true Son of God. The Savior of mankind.

Here's what he said in Luke 23:40-43 (NIV): "But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'"

Wow! Those words are as powerful today as they were more than 2,000 years ago.

Discipline isn't fun. Nobody likes to go through it, but if we receive it and learn from it we are always better once it's over. The Bible uses words like "happy" and "blessed" are those who God disciplines. We should be happy and know that we're blessed when God disciplines us, because that means our Heavenly Father loves us and only wants the best for us. Thank you Father.