For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.
Lamentations 3:31-33 (NIV)
Maybe, when you were a child you might have heard one or both of your parents say this before they were about to punish you. "This is for your own good, and believe it or not this hurts me more than it will hurt you." I remember hearing those words, but as, a child I did not understand the concept my parents were trying to convey. Now that I am a parent, of 15 years now, I am just now beginning to fully comprehend what that saying means. As a loving father, despite my best efforts my children do not do what I say, or recommend. Imagine that?? It is like they hear what I say, but it does not register into their adolescent brains. It was the same for me when I was their age. My parents warned me about what was right and wrong. They tried to counsel me in the way of wisdom and righteousness, but despite all their lecturing and teaching I did what I wanted to do. I constantly clashed against my parent’s will challenging them on many points and either outwardly rebelling or covertly sneaking around so that I would not get caught. There were many times that my parents had to take drastic measures to get my attention. This means they punished me. They corrected me severely In order to get through to me. This is what some would call "tough love" but, it was this kind of love that kept me from the path of total self destruction. The Bible teaches us: "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."[a] Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have 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 12:5-11 God disciplines us, when we get out of line, when we rebel against His will for our lives. He as a loving Father has to correct us. Sometimes, when He starts administering His righteous right hand to our back sides, we become frustrated and angry with Him. Just like I did as a kid I would resent my Father for making me miserable. Just like in our spiritual lives we become resentful with God. However, here in the book of Hebrews we are encouraged not to "lose heart" when the Lord corrects us. There are times that God has to get rough with us so that we will listen to Him. I am not talking about "spiritual child abuse" by God, but instead I am talking about a wise Father that knows what we need when we need it. He knows how much pressure to apply and He knows when to release that pressure as well. This discipline that we encounter is not something that He enjoys nor is it something that does willingly. His discipline comes to us, when we have chosen to rebel against Him. If you are going through a rough season and you feel like you have fallen out of favor with God I have some encouraging words for you. His discipline does not last forever. "God does not cast us off forever." We suffer His discipline for as long as we want to endure it. As soon as we repent and line up with His will, God is more than happy to bless us and put us in a position of favor because of our contrite heart and willingness to repent of our actions. The best thing that we can do is go to our Heavenly Father and confess to Him our short-comings. Tell Him where we have erred and how we would like to change. That is the purpose of the discipline. To bring you to repentance, to bring you back into fellowship with Him. It is His kindness that brings us to repentance. God does not hold a grudge with us. Instead He patiently waits for us to come to our senses and return to Him. When we return to the Father we realize that He is compassionate and that His love never fails. There is nothing that can ever separate you from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord. I remember my Father saying to me before He doled out the punishment, "We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the easy way." The hard way meant I could squirm, resist, and make a general fool of myself, or I could hang in there and take my punishment. Whenever I would act the fool, the discipline was longer and harder whereas if I humbled myself and took it, and accepted responsibility for my actions He was more likely to go easier on me. I think that is true with the Lord as well. So many times, we make the discipline of the Lord harder than it has to be, whereas if we would just humble ourselves before Him and admit our faults He could administer the discipline and we could move on in our spiritual lives. But, by resisting and complaining we find ourselves losing precious time and energy wandering in the "spiritual wilderness" because of our stubbornness. When I read that verse in Lamentations, I realize that the Prophet Jeremiah was lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem. He understood that it was the judgment of God upon the nation for their rebellion towards Him. These words of God’s comfort came to Jeremiah in the midst of his grief and suffering and they can come to you right where you are and no matter your situation. God does not cast us off forever and He does not willingly bring punishment upon us. We bring punishment upon ourselves, but if we humble ourselves and repent we will find that great is His compassion. We will find that His mercies are new every morning and His love is unfailing. God is a loving, patient, Father waiting for you to do what is right so that He might shower His blessings and affection upon you in sweet fellowship. What are you waiting for? He is waiting for you to return to Him. |
