Discipline

Proverbs 3:11-12 

11My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

“Busmate!”

Have you heard of the term “Busmate?” Passengers who ride on the same bus at regular basis, they call themselves “busmates.” A commuter had a “busmate” that she had not seen for a while. But when gas price increased, her “busmate” takes the bus again. “You are back!” she gladly said. “Yeah! Gas is very expensive. I spent $80 every week for gas. It is too much!” her downcast “busmate” responded.

Not a very few individuals are bothered by expensive prices of commodities. Price increase of basic commodities and gas is not new; it confuses every generations.

How can we have peace? We always pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit until he bears fruit in us and even when gas price increases, we would sense joyful peace.

If you are not bothered when prices of gas and other commodities increase, if you sense joyful peace in your inmost being, it practically proves that your faith in Christ is active. It’s God’s gift to appreciate life despite the confusion about price increase. Practically, price increase can be instrumental also to evaluate our faith in God.

God our Creator loves and cares for all his creation. It declares in Psalm 104:27: 27All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

By faith, we eagerly expect great things from God. All good gifts come from God. He allows challenges like price increase from time to time for us to check our faith. Most often, our tendency is to relax. We relax even in our faith, especially when everything seems fine. When there’s material abundance, many believers would gladly invest for eternal returns while others may spend their money in luxurious indulgence.

How many acquaintances readily despise you, if you rebuke their indulgences?

1.  Despise

11My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,

The term “discipline” can be interpreted as “rebuke, instruction or correction.” God is perfect; his ways are perfectly flawless. His instructions correct wicked lifestyle into lifestyle of righteousness. By faith, we obey him and learn to approach life in godly manner. Certainly in this world, we cannot attain the perfection of God, but  the Lord is very please when we seek his empowerment and guidance in all we do or decide.

King David testified in Psalm 139:16, 16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Can you accept that our life story has already been designed by the Lord –  that he perfectly arranged everything pleasant and unpleasant experiences on earth? Faith in God is practically exhibited when we pay attention to his discipline and not despise it. His Holy Spirit inspires us to adhere and accept his instructions gladly and not to resent his rebukes. If by faith we gladly submit, the Lord expertly weaves events and situations to accomplish for our good; we are called according to God’s good purposes.

Bamboo Basket

Once upon a time, a farmer stood next to the Bamboo Plant. “Hi, Farmer! Why are you staring at me? Are you impressed by my height?” the bamboo asked. “Yes! You are awesomely tall but I was thinking of making a basket as vessel to carry fruits I will give to the king!” the farmer stated. “Well, you can use me!” the bamboo offered gladly.

“The process of making basket will certainly hurt you: I will cut down your height, and you will die; I will cut you to small pieces; I will remove sharp edges and some part of you until you become flexible to be weaved into beautiful basket; and then I will use you as vessel to bring delicious and sweet fruits from my orchard to the king,” explained the farmer. The bamboo plant gladly said, “I’m yours! Make me a vessel of blessing.”

Faith in Christ includes burial to our old self and resurrection to new life in him. Are you willing to be vessels of blessings? It’s painful process of discipline. God removes sharp edges of us until we can be flexible to bend to his will. By then, he weaves and shapes us as vessels of blessing to the King of kings as he blesses others also through us.

Godly discipline is painful but necessary process for the Lord to accomplish his good purposes for all believers. God is expert in weaving series of situations and events including price increase, to shape us as vessel of blessings. Again, it’s by faith we believe that God had ordained both undesirable and desirable circumstances for our welfare.

It says in Psalm 90:10ff, 10Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

When we were younger, time is very slow, and we rush to get anything we want. When we grow older, it seems like time has become faster ever. But it is by godly wisdom that we understand such reality of life that God has ordained for everyone. Life on earth has limitation. By faith, we delight in the Lord for the limited span of life he gave us!

2. Delight

12because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Believers that the Lord loves and delights in, he disciplines, rebukes, and corrects; he instructs in godly steps how we may walk in godly lifestyle of righteousness. We can enjoy the fullness of life in Christ when we pay attention to his godly discipline.

Do you personally sense that the Lord disciplines you? Surely, he loves you!

Do you personally hear it when the Lord rebukes you? Truly, he delights in you.

When we are not aware or attentive or when we are pre-occupied with activities that usually concern us, most often our tendency is to function or perform instinctively.  It happens when we’re anxious of our circumstances and daily needs. We want to be involved in communal activities, why? It’s natural for us. We are social being.

We don’t want to be an object of ridicule; we just want to play safe. It is possible even among genuine believers who haven’t grown in their faith just yet. The unspoken fear to be ostracized or excluded from a group, society or community is biblical reality.

Nicodemus

What do we know about Nicodemus? He was the Pharisee who went to see Jesus as night. Why? Maybe, he avoided other Pharisees to see him with Christ, or else, he will be ostracized or ridiculed. After Jesus died on the cross, it mentioned in John 19:38-42: 38Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish Council while Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent member of the Jewish Council. Both Nicodemus and Joseph believed Christ secretly because they were scared to be ostracized. The Jewish leaders persecuted anybody connected to Jesus, even his disciples. Nicodemus and Joseph prepared for the remains of Jesus in accordance to Jewish burial custom- it could be their practical way to let other believers know that they personally believe in Christ.

How many secret believers are there, even in this generation in the church?

Here is a warning for all who are scared of mankind. It says in Proverbs 29:25: 25Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Are pressured by your peers? Are you pressured to keep up with the latest trend that others have acquired? Do not let fear victimize you. Do not be scared as outcast by groups that pressure you. Choose believers who bear fruit of love in their life.

It says in 1 John 4:18, 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Materialism can pressure its victims. Price increase of commodities can bother anyone. But with godly discipline, instruction and correction, we overcome pressure.

Earnestly pray for stronger faith and godly wisdom so that you invest your precious time for eternal treasure instead worrying about temporal things.

You won’t be victims of fear when the Holy Spirit of Christ produces love in you.

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