Your Father Disciplines You

Just like I do with my boys.

We just got done talking about how God is your Daddy, Abba Father, if you have been adopted in to the Family of God, through the sacrifice of Jesus and the receiving of the Spirit of Adoption, the Holy Spirit. We talked about how God, your Daddy, wants to have a daily, personal, relationship with you. He wants you to talk with Him. Walk with Him. He wants you to spend time with Him.

However, just like the example of how my boys need no mediator to talk with me, I also have to discipline them when they are in need of it. Not something I like doing, but it is true. After all, the Bible does say

Proverbs 13:

24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

The Word makes it clear, that if you love your Children, when needed, you MUST Discipline them. You warn them. They do it anyway. You "correct" them so they do not do it again, or if they do, you discipline them again, perhaps even harsher.

We talked about my boys being in the kitchen with me or Laura when we're cooking. I warn my boys not to touch the Stove, for it is hot, and they will get burned. Joshua listened. He did not touch the stove. He did not get burned. Elijah, however, didn't listen. He touched the stove and got burned. Did I burn him? Of course not. I knew what would happen. He did so of his own free will and suffered the consequences of his actions. I warn him again. If I even think, he may do it again, I will banish him from the kitchen while the Stove is on. Why? This way he will not get hurt again.

Now he may see this as I burned him for not listening. I didn't. He may see the punishment of being banished from the kitchen as unfair. Why can Josh be there and he can't? He may see me as being too harsh. The reality is, it is out of love that I do this, to protect him from himself.

God is our Father. He is our Daddy. Of course He is going to "correct" His Children when they are in need. He does so, because He loves us.

Proverbs 3:

11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Let's go to....

Hebrews 12:

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 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.

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Will your Daddy correct you when you do wrong? Of course. Why? He loves you. He would rather see you suffer for a brief time, or what we may perceive as suffering, than to be condemned to an ever lasting damnation that brings you away from God Himself. In...

Revelation 3:

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Again, Jesus tells us He rebukes those He loves. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" Yet, He also tells us that He stands at the door and knocks. "if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" So even though He may have to "correct" us, He still says that He will come to us.

God does not discipline out of anger or hate. He is love. He IS our Daddy, and He loves us. He does so for our own good, and yes, in some cases, to even protect ourselves from ourselves. If you need transportation, and you Pray for a Brand New Shinny Red Sports Car, and God knows that you will not handle it well and decides the answer is no, He is doing it to protect YOU. He knows they will have to scrape you off a tree. Or worse yet, take someone else away in an Ambulance, because of you. He may get you a Minivan. He knows you need transportation. He will arrange it. But a Sports Car? You get the point. In...

2 Corinthians 4:

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

So you drive around in the Minivan, and live. You have much greater treasures stored up in Heaven than that Sports Car. But God may correct you, not only to protect you, but to make you better at what He asks us to do. In....

John 15:

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

If I say to my boys. "I want you to do this." They go out, and one does what I asked. One doesn't. I say to the one that doesn't, "I asked you to go out and do this. You didn't do it. Why?" He says whatever he says. I may give him another chance. I may not. I will then go to the one that did do what I ask, look at how he was doing it, and I may say something to him like, "You are doing good. However, If you do it this way, you will produce more."

Sometimes God corrects us, even if we are doing what He asked. Read that again. "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away," Now again, this goes back to our discussion on Faith being dead without works. That God's main request to His Children to to spread the Gospel. To produce a mighty Harvest. "and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." So you see, God "corrects" every one of His Children. The obedient, and the disobedient alike. Severity differs of course. But our Father will "correct" or outright discipline us, when needed.

If we learn form our mistakes. If we accept the discipline and "corrections," then He is just and merciful to forgive us. Jesus is our advocate.

1 John 2:

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Understand that God DOES discipline His Children. He DOES correct us when needed. However, it is not out of anger, hatred, or some kind of vengeful feelings. He does so because He loves us. Just like I do with my boys, and you may do with your Children, God will do with us.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Is He your advocate? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time. Be blessed, and Jesus IS Lord of all!