My child,
do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the
Lord disciplines those He loves, as the father the child he delights in. ~Proverbs
3:11-12
In your
struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your
blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as
children: “My child, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not
lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves,
and He punishes everyone He accepts as a child.”
Endure
hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His child. For what truly loved
child is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and
everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not a true
offspring of the Father. Moreover, we’ve all had human fathers who disciplined
us, and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father
of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they
thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His
holiness. 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 12:4-11
These
passages of scripture often remind me of the movie, “The Karate Kid.” If you
haven’t seen the movie, it’s about a young man who wants to learn karate and
the disciplines that the instructor puts him through to learn the necessary
moves to become a champion. “Spoiler alert.” The movie does have a happy
ending, just in case you were wondering. What I am thinking about here is the
process that was used to bring success. It was strict discipline.
I’ll just
give two examples to illustrate what I mean. The first move that the young man
learns is a hand motion. The instructor teaches the motion by having him wash
and wax his car, meticulously. “wax on, wax off.” Of course, the instructor
doesn’t let the young man in on what he is actually doing. He allows the young
man to believe that he is cleaning the instructor’s car in payment for his
lessons.
Another
hidden lesson takes place in a fishing boat. The young man is told to practice
standing on one leg, while the boat gently bobs around, and the instructor
enjoys a pleasant day of fishing.
As
experiences continue and skills are taught in a hidden manner, the young man
becomes frustrated. He feels taken advantage of because all he wanted to learn
was karate, but he hasn’t had one formal lesson, but the instructor has
certainly benefited from his obedience. It isn’t until the competition that the
instructor explains himself and is then able to use reference to the chores
that he had the young man do that the secret method is revealed, for a happy
ending.
Another
good movie that illustrates the benefit of discipline for me is the Kendric
Brothers “Facing the Giants.” It’s a Christian movie about a football coach at
a Christian school. When we show that movie to friends we always ask, what was
the most memorable scene for you? One hundred per cent of the time, the
response is, “the death crawl scene.”
Again,
for those of you who haven’t seen it, the coach blindfolds his strongest player
and has him walk on his hands and feet down the field carrying another player
on his back. To keep going in the right direction, he is totally trusting his
coach who is walking along side cheering him on, all the way. The player
becomes tired and wants to quit. He has no idea how far he has gone down the
field or how far he still has to go. The main thing that keeps him going is his
coach’s encouragement. Finally, as the young man is loudly complaining that he
can’t possibly make it to the goal line, the coach says, “OK, take off the blind
fold.” The player IS at the goal! He has gone farther then he imagined possible.
Both of
these movies, for me, are such a picture of life in Christ and the purpose of
His discipline of us in that life. I do believe that nothing of what we go
through on this earth is wasted in God’s economy. We don’t always see the
purpose, but each experience helps us to gain skill that we will need either
for ourselves or to help others along the way. We don’t know how long we have
to acquire or use the skills we are gaining, but if we remain vigilant in His
discipline, we are the ones blessed. This is wisdom.
When we
remain in God’s Word, and read the tough stuff, beyond the Psalms and Gospel,
that is good for us. When we practice prayer, first, in its many types,
including confession, thanks and praise, we gain from that discipline by
growing closer to Him. We gain His wisdom and are blessed. Just practicing
being aware of His presence, always, is a blessing. Remembering that we are
never alone, never hidden from Him, helps us in comfort and accountability as a
discipline of its own.
Most
importantly, remember that He is disciplining because He loves. It may not seem
pleasant at the time, but discipline in Christ has the reward of making us more
like Him. It’s shedding the old nature. It’s re-writing the heart. It’s all for
His glory.
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