God disciplines those He loves... it is a sign of His care for us!

Right at the onset I want to draw a clear distinction between God's wrath or anger and His discipline. Most of us in modern culture have grown up with extremely poor models of parenting. We almost invariably associate discipline with anger. This is not the case with God. As you study His discipline it is always for our good. He wants us to grow to be passionate, noble and humble men and women.

Let me say that again. God does not discipline us because He is angry. Exodus 34:6 and I Corinthians 13:5 clearly says that God is not easily angered. He is slow to anger. In this paper I want to focus on the fact that when God disciplines us it is because He is passionate about His kids! No one wants to discipline their kids unless they really care about them. Why? Because taking the time and effort to correct your kids is a lot of work. You would never spend that kind of energy on people or children that you did not care about intensely! It is the same with God.

You can see the converse also. Many parents are so dedicated to their own happiness, pleasure and comfort that they will not take the time to learn how to raise and discipline their children. Firstly, hey don't want to take the time and effort to learn. Secondly, they don't want to spend the time and effort to be consistent and patient while they discipline them. But see how committed God is to us. (And this is just one of many ways that He is committed to us.) God will take all the time and effort He needs to both encourage and discipline us. He loves us intensely AND He will challenge us intensely - as His prized sons and daughters! How proud of us He is! How intensely He yearns for us to grow and be more like Him!

Revelation 3:19 says, " Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest, and repent."

The writer of Hebrews says that the scripture that talks of God disciplining us as sons and daughters is "a word of encouragement" ---

" And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
'My son, 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 son.' " Hebrews 12:5

The author also tells us to watch out that we not take God's discipline as a bad thing and loose heart. On the contrary we should see it as a good thing. God would only spend that kind of time and effort on us because we are really His children!

Jesus says in the gospel of John that those who follow Him are guaranteed of "pruning." Jesus acknowledges that those people are already bearing fruit. However the pruning happens so that they will bear even more fruit! The reason for this is not negative (i.e. that they are fruitless dead branches). No, the reason is positive. It is like the coach telling the star athlete, "You are good! Honestly, you have talent. And you are going to be even better as we work together."

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.... every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:1

Proverbs tells us not to resent the lords discipline or His rebuke, because it is a sign that He is delighting is us!

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

Deuteronomy says the same thing. Everyone has wrestled with this basic issue. Even Moses and the people in His time:

"Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy 8:5

David openly says that he had this natural tendency to just drift away until God disciplined him:

"Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
You are good, and what you do is good; " Psalms 119:67

David talks about God's discipline, but only in terms of God's faithfulness to him. David says that it hurt but it was only done to help him grow:

"I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me." Psalms 119:75

Jeremiah records Ephraim's struggles and God's discipline in it all. However Ephraim comes to recognize his own foolishness and tendency to stray from God. In the end He understood why God was disciplining him. It was for his own good.

"I have surely heard Ephraim's moaning:
`You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
because you are the LORD my God.
After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' " Jeremiah 31:18

Conclusion

The only reason God spends His time and effort to discipline us is because He is so attached to us... we are His eternal inheritance, His sons and daughter! He is passionate about us, who we are and how we care about others.