daily java

Daily Java:

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. No 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. (Hebrews 12:10-11)

I really am not sure how discipline from God works. I have read and heard a thousand discussions and sermons and pontifications on it, but I am still not sure.

On the one hand, nothing bad ever comes from God. The Bible plainly says that God does not send bad things to us. All bad comes from the devil. God does not tempt us nor does he hurt us. In the book of Job, that is shown rather plainly.

But what he does do is let the bad happen. He doesn’t always stop it. There were times when God stopped bad things from happening and kept the person from harm. Then there were times when he stood by and let them happen.

For instance, in Acts 12, the apostle James is killed by the ruling authorities. They got away with it so they decided they would arrest the leader, Peter. However, God led Peter out of prison and saved his life. Peter left and lived. Why he chose Peter over James I do not know and neither does anyone else.

Sometimes the discipline that he allows to happen seems for nothing. Job never knew why he was hurt so badly. It was just a bet between God and the devil. God won, Job didn’t deny him like the devil said he would, but Job and his helpless wife were damaged beyond repair. He got everything back along with new children, but his life had been shattered. And God stood around and let it be.

So what happens when God disciplines us? I believe that it is the living through the pain that makes it discipline. Bad things happen to everybody no matter how well blessed they may be. But there is a differences between those who accept the pain as discipline and those who do not.

Those who do not accept it as discipline rage against the night, they rage against God, against others, against life in general. They become bitter and angry. They wear their anger like a suit of clothing and everybody can see it. It eats them up.

Those who do accept it as discipline become stronger. They are like the trees that stand before storms. They just become stronger. Their endurance is strong, their patience is strong, their strength multiplies. They accept the fact that things happen, and that some of them are bad things, and they allow God to remain in their lives. You can see the strength and the endurance.

There is a scene from a movie about the older Robin Hood and Marian in which the older Robin is telling the older Marian about all the things that had happened since they saw each other last, which had been several years. He talked about the atrocities of war that he performed under the leadership of King Richard and how it made him feel. She asked him if it was so terrible, why did you stay with King Richard? Robin answered in a bit of astonishment at the question, he is my King. Where else would I go?

We have had a lot of bad things happen to us in the past few years. One day my daughter asked me why we kept on going to church. It seemed to her that God had turned from us. My answer: he is my God and I will ever serve him. After all, life for many of his people in the Bible was not particularly good. So why should I expect different. I remain faithful even though bad things happen to me.

In John 6, the apostles were embarrassed at some of the graphic language Jesus used in describing our relationship to him. Eat my flesh and drink my blood. Many turned from him. Jesus turned to the apostles and said, are you going to leave too? Their answer, “Lord, to whom would we go. You have the answer to eternal life.”

We accept what happens to us because we love God. And we let it make us stronger. And we become like the tree that stands before storm after storm: strong and straight.

We stand as citizens of a better country and disciples of Christ.