Painful But Necessary. Hebrews 12:5-11

Hebrews 12:5-11
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said,

“My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline,
and don’t give up when He corrects you.
6 For the LORD disciplines those He loves,
and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)

7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

The trick of good discipline is to never discipline in anger. Every parent has made that mistake. Unfortunately, when we discipline in anger we tend to over discipline. Then, we have to stick by our word or we become ineffective. 

Fortunately, God is the perfect disciplinarian. He never disciplines in anger, is always effective and can exact the correction He desires through His discipline. Just as a good parent disciplines because of their love for us, God disciplines because of His love. God's correction is painful but necessary to produce the fruit of righteous living according to God's will for our lives. 

Blessings, Cecilia