All parents find themselves
at times executing discipline on their children in ways that seem less than
perfect. We may be too harsh or
less firm than we need to be. We
also may perceive our motives as tainted by selfishness, resulting in a
chastening that may involve our own benefit far more than that of our
child.
This presents a great
challenge to born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, all of whom have
been on the receiving end of parental imperfections, and many who have been the
bestowers thereof. The challenge
lies in the temptation to transfer our sometimes wayward disciplining to our
perception of God. Because we often
do not understand His ways and reasonings, our spiritual enemies tempt us to
suspect that our Heavenly Father acts from imperfect motives. In principle, we know this is not
true. In practice, however,
we may succumb to the insidious innuendo of Satan that causes us to wonder if
God’s way is indeed perfect (II Samuel 22:31).
“Whom the Lord loveth,
He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth” (Hebrews
12:6).
Recalling that the
love of God “seeketh not her own,” we recognize and affirm that perfect
unselfishness guides His every action (I Corinthians 13:5). Indeed, our Lord has never had a selfish
moment, and He never will. His
discipline, whether of correction from wrong, or training toward righteousness,
always flows from a Heart of goodness that even eternity will not allow us to
fully explore. Our benefit always
results from the hard things God determines or allows to confront us, and we do
well to look toward Heaven with thanksgiving not only for the blessings of the
delightful, but also for the buffetings of the difficult. All work together for good to those who
love the Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall one day look back on dark valleys with
no less grateful wonder than sun-graced summits.
A final point. We can be sure that our Father in Heaven
takes no pleasure in wielding the rod of chastening any more than does a loving
earthly parent. He simply knows the
perfection of His wisdom and way, and He knows our present need for affliction
as well as affirmation. Yes, a perfect Father birthed us and now
rears us in Christ. We can be sure
of His love, even in times when the tears formed by His necessary correction
fall from eyes that see the rod as a branch of grace.
“Now no
chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable
fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby.”
(Hebrews
12:11)
“Before I was
afflicted, I went astray. But now I
have kept Thy Word.”
(Psalm
119:67)
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