The kindness of His discipline

"For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives...All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, after wards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Hebrews 12:6, 11

The latest secular "science" states that parents should never punish their children. No negative consequence should every be laid out, even in the face of outright rebellion. While I see many points worth arguing in this research, I believe the primary problem is a failure to see the steadfast and sacrificial love of firm discipline.

When filled with her own independent spirit my daughter rips her hand from my grasp, shrieks, "Me!" and darts across the street, she will face consequences. I can assure you they will be negative consequences. This is not because I am mean-spirited. It is not because I have a violent temper. I discipline my daughter because I value her precious life above her temporary happiness. I discipline because I am kind. I discipline because, despite how it hurts my heart to see her cry, I would sacrifice my own wants, needs, and desires for my daughter's benefit. A moment of sorrow now can evaporate a torrent of sadness lurking in the future.

When she chooses to be compassionate, patient, and brave, I applaud my daughter, heart near to bursting with love, with every positive and encouraging statement I know. But when she chooses to behave badly, I reprimand her with that same heart, the one that values her life with the deepest and most immovable affection.

How much more does the God of Ages, who poured out His precious blood for us, discipline us from a heart of steadfast and sacrificial love. God is not mean. He does not delight in our misery. He is kind.

Daniel chapter 4 recounts heavenly discipline on an earthly man. King Nebuchadnezzar looks out in pride and claims all the glory around him for his own. God sentences the greatest man on earth to eat grass like a cow and wander like a madman for seven years. Nothing negative in that. Upon acknowledgement of God and a heart revolutionized for worship and humility, God returns Nebuchadnezzar to dominion and blesses him even more than before.

Imagine if God did not intervene. Imagine the path this proud man walked and the dark destination to which it led. Years later another king ruled in pride. He refused to acknowledge God, and Belshazzar, rebellious and undisciplined, saw the writing on the wall. His life was required of him.

Do you see the grace of God to Nebuchadnezzar? His discipline though severe, brought about a crop of peace, virtue, and blessing. Is there anything more we want for our children? Is there anything more that God wants for His children. Peace. Virtue. Blessing. These are the gifts of discipline.

When you feel divine discipline on your life, remember the kindness of God. He blocks the destructive path with thorns. His grace is never more prevalent in the believer than when He is actively sanctifying us, changing us to resemble the righteousness He has already wrapped us in. Let us have joy in the trouble that corrects us. His scourging tears away the rotting flesh of our old self, to unleash the bold, faithful, and incorruptible disciple underneath. After all, "He is a good, good Father."