and scourges every son whom He receives.
If you
endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;
for
what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
But if you are
without chastening, then you are illegitimate,
not sons.
not sons.
(Hebrews 12:7-8)
‘Connect
discipline to undesired behavior.’
That’s good
advice for a parent, tutor and mentor.
Yet if
connections aren’t in a timely manner,
After
all, will the discipline really matter? 1
Discipline
infers disciple, pupil,
As in
following a leader’s counsel.
Whether
for outcomes that are good or evil,
Everybody is somebody’s disciple!
Ahhh, the art of connecting-the-dots,
Something
we humans often do not. 2
Yep! But
when we do, great strides we will make,
And from
bad behavior, key lessons take.
But this
requires to righteousness, our minds and hearts are bent,
And that
when confronted with sin, we’re willing to repent.
This
applies to us whom God calls …His own.
But what
of those who by Him are …unknown?
Christ-disciples
learn well to connect-the-dots,
When in
life, we allow Him to call-the-shots.
To us, He
gives chastening ‘nudgements’.
To outsiders,
He gives harsh judgments. 3
But
wait! Here’s a
point that is very pivotal,
One that’s
undeniably unarguable!
Unsaved
outsiders will not benefit,
From timely
inputs before judgments hit!
Though
they receive many warnings, iterative,
They’ll
respond in so many ways, derogative.
To them,
justice is delayed, not denied.
This is
simply, to them, God’s GRACE
applied.
For us
all, saints and sinners alike,
Both our
words and actions are seed-like.
They
grow the fruits we call, ‘consequences’,
Rewards
or penalties –- life dispenses.
Friend, God does
not rush to chastise or judge.
If to Him you’re
alive, then He'll just nudge.
If to
Him you’re dead, GRACE
gives time to repent,
And when
you do, from judgment He will relent.
Whether chastening
nudging -- for saints,
Or long justice
delaying -- for aint’s,
For us
obeying, or those disobeying,
Both are simply The Lord God’s …GRACE amazing! 4
----------
1 See:
Timing
of Punishment
3 Hebrews
12:7-8 above. See also: Jeremiah 9:24
4 Tip:
To us who are saved, Jesus took upon Himself our judgment(s). As we walk out
our salvation, He lovingly disciplines us as disciples and pupils. When we are
not attentive to His nudgements, He ramps up the pressure because of His love.
Eventually, with enough pressure, stronger nudgements may very quickly look and
feel like harsh judgments! Lesson: Be daily attentive to learn, hear and
follow His voice saying, ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’ In John 10,
Jesus iteratively released faith-filled words about us, His future followers,
concerning our ability to learn/know, hear and follow His voice. When we align
our faith, words and actions with what He says about us, the fruits of
His faith-filled words will develop and manifest in our lives. As we do, we
will more easily perceive and follow His nudgements, and will no longer require
discipline that may look and feel like judgments. That’s spiritual growth and maturity.
