BLESSED BY DISCIPLINE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Blessed is the one You discipline, Lord, the one You teach from Your law; You grant them relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Psalm 94:12-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Thinking back to my childhood days, it seems I can remember certain things better than others. It’s funny that those things seem to revolve around the times I was disciplined.

There was that time in the first grade when I was caught standing on top of my desk on the last day of school. My antics cost me the right to have popcorn with the rest of my classmates.

Then there was a time in Mrs. Gibson’s science class in third grade. I was chatting with my neighbor in class when suddenly Mrs. Gibson took her 18 inch ruler and cracked me with it on my shoulder. Needless to say, I got the message: Don’t talk in class.

Later, I thought it was funny to hide in my teacher’s closet and sing the National Anthem as school was beginning (the school would play it over the loudspeakers every morning). Everyone thought it was funny, except my teacher of course who made sure I never did that again.

I vividly remember the time my parents gave me money to walk over town and buy tickets to a baseball game in Pittsburgh. I would have been able to ride a bus to the game and attend had I not somehow lost my money during my walk. I searched and searched for that money but never found it. I thought, “Dad will just give me some more money to go back and make the purchase.” WRONG! Dad told me that I had lost my chance to go to the game when I lost the money. He discussed the importance of safeguarding things of value so they wouldn’t come up missing. It was a classic case of discipline in the midst of trial.

Then there was the time in the Navy when I was late for an important mission requirement. That resulted in a report chit and appearances between the Command Master Chief at the Disciplinary Review Board and Executive Officer (XO) at the Executive Officer Inquiry. If it hadn’t been for my solid record, I would have easily gone to see the Commanding Officer but as it ended up, my case was dismissed at the XO-level with disciplinary measures put in place to make sure I never did it again. Trust me, I didn’t.

Yes, our lives are full of disciplinary moments, times when the Lord is trying to transform and conform us to His own image. No one would say that they enjoy discipline but the reality of it is that we are actually being blessed when we are disciplined. Often, we never realize it while we’re in the midst of correction but afterwards, there are many times when we reflect back and see that that it was the best thing that could have ever happened to us.

In other words, we are blessed by discipline.

God’s word tells us so in the 94th Psalm:

Blessed is the one You discipline, Lord, the one You teach from Your law.

The scriptures are truth and so we can accept that we are blessed when the Lord brings us discipline for it’s during that time that He is teaching us how to live more in accordance with His will for our lives, a will that strives to ensure we live in righteousness.

So what are the blessings we receive from discipline? We can again turn to the Bible for answers to this question. Consider the following ways:

1. We’re counted as being wise.

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Proverbs 19:20

2. We escape being condemned with the world.

When we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:32

3. We experience the Lord’s love and acceptance.

The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as his son.

4. We know we’re legitimate sons and daughters of the Lord Most High.

If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Hebrews 12:8

5. We can share in God’s holiness.

God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness. Hebrews 12:10

6. We reap righteousness and peace.

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 12:11

Friends, we all need discipline. None of us is perfectly righteous. None of us is perfectly holy. And so all of us need correction and guidance to become the kind of people the Lord wants us to be. Submit to Him and accept His discipline when it comes because it is during those times that He is blessing you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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