The Joy of Discipline

Psalm 30:5 For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

God is eternal and inhabits eternity. We have the seed of eternity planted in us when we come to an acceptance of our need for Jesus' salvation, but we still dwell in time and space, seeing through a glass darkly, seeing vaguely into the spiritual reality of the heavenlies.

We so easily base our choices, our actions on the immediate circumstances, which change about as fast as the weather, rather than making choices based on God's eternal truths. May God give us the ability to take the long view of our choices, so that we can think less of the pleasure of the moment and more of the consequences.

Being able to look ahead and reject the momentary pleasure for the sake of the long-term benefit is a hallmark of moving from childhood to adulthood. Something as simple as saving our allowance or the money we make doing chores at home rather than spending it on candy and soda and movies and comics is the beginning of growing up and looking beyond the appetites that seek to motivate us. It shows the beginnings of our mastery of ourselves, and forms the basis of our continued maturity even in spiritual issues.

To grow in God requires taking in spiritual nourishment. Just as we have food and drink followed by exercise as a child, allowing us to grow strong, well-nourished bodies, even so we have the Word and Spirit followed by obedience as we develop into a strong, mature Christian. It requires regular nourishment from God's table to grow in faith and trust as we read His word and drink in His Spirit in times of prayer, conversation, communion alone with God; it also requires time with God's people to socialize ourselves, just as we learn to get along with our siblings, then our friends in the neighborhood, those in school, and finally those in our place of employment.

If we followed only what we wanted as children, I'm sure many, myself included, would have ended up staring at a tv, eating snacks, having no strength, no health, no knowledge of how to extend courtesy to others, wanting my way all the time, never giving to others or understanding their needs. As Christians, we do see many people who are still young, choosing the short-term pleasures and missing the long-term benefits. Just as we see how a baby behaves when we are young, and we don't want to act like a baby, lest we be treated like a baby, even so in our Christian walk, our resolve can be strengthened to act more like the "bigger kids" and less like the "little kids." 

Hebrews 10:24 We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things.

When the fires of circumstances seem about to consume us, understand that the refining God does in our lives harms nothing of the gold that He has placed in us -- it only consumes the dross and the slag that would lessen the value we possess. Let those things that are flammable be consumed. The quicker they are gone, the sooner we are removed from the fire.

Exodus 25:31 “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them.

When the blows of life seem more than we can bear, turn to God for strength and endurance and understand that He is shaping the gold into the item of beauty He has intended for us. In the tabernacle, the gold vessels and the gold candlestick are not poured into a mold. Rather they are hammered out of one piece. The blows of the hammer are not motivated by anger or hatred or revenge but rather by precision and accuracy to bring out the shape which bestows beauty on the object and honor on the artist.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Father God, thank You that You awaken in us a desire to have more of You. Even as we follow that desire and the road grows rougher and steeper, You develop in us the strength to face the choices, to endure the storms, to brave the battles. You never put more on us than we are prepared to face, though it drives us to You to manage it. We trust You in the storm, we seek You in the fire, we obey You in the battle, for You alone are our source. You turn my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever.

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