GOOD DISCIPLINE FROM A GREAT GOD
Read Time: 5 min 12 sec
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle.”
C.T. Studd
THE GOOD STUFF
GOOD DISCIPLINE FROM A GREAT GOD
by Brock Graham | Lead Pastor
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of His reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom He delights.”- Proverbs 3:11-12
God disciplines His kids.
God disciplines...
And as Hebrews tells us, this never feels pleasant in the moment. It’s painful and refining and purifying and hard. And yet, it’s good and joy-producing and faith-growing and Christ-forming.
I don’t want to despise His discipline or be weary of His reproof for 2 reasons:
I don’t want to miss His delight as a father. This Proverb tells us that our Perfect Father is delighting in us as His children while He disciplines us. His discipline is always carried out perfectly, full of love, and for our best interest. It is His delight in us that leads to His discipline of us so that we grow into greater and greater Christlikeness for His glory. I don’t want to despise any of the work He wants to do in me for those purposes.
I want to learn the lesson. Last night at the table I told our son who is now in school about a time I was disciplined by a teacher early in my schooling career. I told him how I was embarrassed in the moment, how I didn’t like the discipline at the time, but that I never made that same mistake again. I learned my lesson from the discipline. I do not want to grow weary of the Lord’s reproof because I want to learn the lessons He desires to teach. His lessons are the wisdom of God. More instruction of the wisdom of God in our lives, amen?
And so, how do you respond when our great God is giving you good discipline? Do you trust His character? His motives? His intentions? Do you trust the lessons He is teaching? Do you believe that ultimately it is all for your good and His glory?
Family, do not despise the Lord’s discipline... it is good discipline from a great God.
THANKSGIVING AND THANKSFEELING
Let's be honest... some of us aren't feeling super thankful right now. We aren't greatly anticipating the time at the Thanksgiving table with our aunts, great aunts, second cousins, and... Who is that guy again? We don't know what to say when everyone takes their turn to say what they are thankful for: "Uh... Uncle Tony didn't burn the turkey this year? “ We are stressed about the last-minute project given to us at work with the clock of 2021 running short. We're mourning the family members whose spot at the table will be empty.
Do we put on the act? Do we come downstairs in our turtle neck sweaters and smile through our mouthful of green bean casserole?
Just as Jesus warns against “vain” worship: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me” (Matthew 15:8–9), thanksgiving without thanksfeeling is empty.
I encourage you to read this article by John Piper called Thanksgiving, Thanksfeeling, and the Glory of God. But if you don't want to (you're already reading this so I'm not trying to give you more homework), at least chew on these thoughts before tomorrow:
God is glorified more fully when we feel thankfulness, not when we only say, “Thank you.”
Authentic heart-feelings are not in our control. We can’t make ourselves feel thankfulness. If our hearts are not moved by God’s goodness, we are ungrateful. Thanksfeelings are a work of grace.
Therefore, as fallen sinners whose hearts are often dull, we should regularly pray for God to overcome our sinful hardness, and cause us to see his goodness and feel thankful. (Psalm 51:10–12)
I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and for each of us to grasp more fully the goodness of God with an overflow of thanksfeeling from the heart.