Almost everyday I have to tell one of the boys that we (their parents and I) discipline them because we love them, and because we want that bad behavior to end. Oh how God uses being a parent/caregiver to reveal himself. God loves us so much. We will never be able to understand how vast his love is. Christ like love is thought being ridiculous and strange in the world. In Francis Chan's Crazy Love he reminds us of October 2006, the shooting that happened in am Amish school near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I remember this happening. But, out of that horrible event, that Amish community showed the nation if not the world a true Christ like love. Parent of the girls who, were killed went to the shooter's parents and forgave them and their son.
The parents forgave their child's murderer. Do you understand that. Could you do that? Could I do that?
Generally, I can forgive things that happen to me. If you call me names, beat me, etc. I can forgive you. But, mess with my friends or my family there will be some consequences. I can not understand that love, that compassion those families have. I pray that in a situation like that God would give me the strength to do what those parents did. But, I also pray that I will not be put into that situation.
Anyways to get back on the track of how much God loves us and disciplines us. So I tell the boys we do this because we want that specific behavior to end.
At the moment I am studying 1 Corinthians. Today, I read chapter 11. Paul is talking about worship and how we should approach God in praising him. He begins this chapter talking about covered and uncovered heads during prayer. In the end of his discussion he tells the church to judge for itself about a woman having her head covered during prayer, and a man having his hair uncovered during prayer. I do not know how this applies today. I will leave that for smarter people than me. But, after he talks about this Paul goes into another issue the church in Corinth is dealing with. Verse 17 Paul states that he has no reason to praise the church for their meetings. When they meet there is division. The divisions are rooted in proving who has the approval of God. I kind of see a "one upping" kind of division, by what Paul writes.
But also Paul gets into the Lord's Supper. People were not recognizing the significance of the Lord's Supper. Paul retells the story of when Jesus gave the bread and the wine to his disciples. Paul tells us that we much examine ourselves before we take part in the Lord's Supper. Paul also says that people have not been doing this because there are so many weak, sick and asleep people. Now if we can figure out if that means spiritually or physically. I mean, who knows there could have been beds of people just sleeping for months at a time. :) My guess I would say spiritually sick , weak and asleep.
Oh but hope!!! If we judge ourselves before we partake in the Lord's Supper we will not come under judgement.
11:32 is where the conversations with the boys comes in.
"When we are judged by the Lord we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world" Is this not a Father's love for is children. When God disciplines us, he does it so that the bad behavior will end, and that we will not be condemned with the people of the world.
So the next question is, "How does God discipline us?" Does he count to three and then our toys get taken away? Does he send us to our room when we back talk and argue with him? Does he force us to go places or do things we do not want to do? I would say yes to all three.
The follow up question: Is God disciplining you? Or on the other hand, How is God rewarding you for your faithfulness?
God is the only sustainer. We have nothing without him because everything comes from him.
Think it over.....
Shalom
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