From the Lord<\/b><\/p>\n
Often, a Christian will admit to some sin or disobedience which has resulted in God\u2019s chastening. At other times, a conversation will reveal problems and troubles that seem to indicate that God is dealing with the caller.<\/p>\n
Chastening from the Lord is Scriptural:<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cBlessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble.\u201d (Psalm 94:12, 13, NIV)<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son, do not despise the Lord\u2019s discipline AND DO NOT RESENT HIS REBUKE, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.\u201d (Proverbs 3:11, 12 NIV)<\/p>\n
Billy Graham comments on the subject: <\/p>\n
\u2018The Bible says, \u2018Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.\u2019 If life were all easy, wouldn\u2019t we become flabby? When a ship\u2019s carpenter needed timber to make a mast for a sailing vessel, he did not cut it in the valley, but up on the mountainside where the trees had been buffeted by the winds. These trees, he knew, were the strongest of all. Hardship is not our choice; but if we face it bravely, it can toughen the fiber of our souls.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod does not discipline us to subdue us, but to condition us for a life of usefulness and blessedness. In His wisdom, He knows that an uncontrolled life is an unhappy life, so He puts reins on our wayward souls that they may be directed into the paths of righteousness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chastening is Desirable, Considering the Alternatives:<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cSo he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them\u201d (Psalm 106:15, NIV).<\/p>\n
\u201cI beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (\u201cBe a castaway,\u201d KJV) (I Corinthians 9:27, NIV).<\/p>\n
God Has Motives in Disciplining or Chastening:<\/b><\/p>\n
He wants to lead us to repentance. \u201cYet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us\u201d (2 Corinthians 7:9, NIV).<\/p>\n
He wants to restore us to fellowship. \u201cThat which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ\u201d (I John 1:3, KJV).<\/p>\n
He wants to make us more faithful. \u201cNow it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful\u201d (I Corinthians 4:2, NIV).<\/p>\n
He wants to keep us humble. \u201cTo keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness\u2019\u201d (2 Corinthians 12:7\u20139, NIV).<\/p>\n
He wants to teach us spiritual discernment. \u201cBut if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.\u201d (I Corinthians 11:31, 32, NIV).<\/p>\n
He wants to prepare us for more effective service. \u201cTherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord\u201d (I Corinthians 15:58, KJV).<\/p>\n
The Billy Graham Christian Worker\u2019s Handbook, (World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, MN, 1984), pp. 53-54<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From the Lord Often, a Christian will admit to some sin or disobedience which has resulted in God\u2019s chastening. At other times, a conversation will reveal problems and troubles that seem to indicate that God is dealing with the caller. Chastening from the Lord is Scriptural: \u201cBlessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the … Continue reading “Chastening”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}