“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Hebrews 12:11)
Children think peeling the paper off and applying a bandage
to their “bobos” makes it feel better, so we appease them with the quick fix,
but it’s only a cover-up. They quickly learn that the antiseptic needed to ward
off infection will sting, and so will pulling off the bandage.
Today, we live in a society where people want “something for
nothing”—expecting provisions but are unwilling to work for them. They want coverings
for their self-inflicted injured life when they need the truth of God’s Word to
cleanse and heal it. Paul delivered a stinging message to the Thessalonians: If
you don’t work, neither should you eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Ouch! But
he could boldly declare this harsh word because he and his coworkers lived by God’s
standard and, under the Holy Spirit’s leadership, instructed them to do the
same.
God loves His wayward children enough to chasten them. His discipline doesn’t bring joy and is often painful because a quick-fix bandage or enabler can’t correct life’s wrongs. Genuine change happens only when the wanderer bends to what God knows is best, but for those who refuse to heed His chastening, a repeat training session awaits. Healing, restoration, and fruit-bearing come to them who receive God’s Truth, though it may sting, letting it cleanse and bring healing. Benefited by the exercise, though the fruit that results from it may take a while to ripen, the trainees will be right before God and more confident in Him—evidence of a life changed.
We need to gently and tenderly continue to help those who are hurting, just like we did for your children when we placed the mercurochrome on the bobo and blew on it or said "Sorry baby, it has to be done to heal."
ReplyDeleteYes we do.
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