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Pastor Jay's Blog

Discipline, Faithfulness and the Pain They Both Bring

 

Discouragement is rarely a needed thing. Encouragement, on the other hand, is something we need in large doses on a daily basis. Therefore, the worst possible scenario is to be discouraged by something that actually should bring encouragement.

The purpose of this blog post is to encourage you where you might be tempted to be discouraged. The Christian is often discouraged in suffering, but they should actually be encouraged at every point in suffering, because God is at work.

It seems to me that we need to make some distinction between the causes and results of discipline and the causes and results of following Christ. In doing so, we will find a unique encouragement in both.

First, let’s look at the causes of discipline. There are two main causes of discipline: sin and immaturity/weakness. We might have some indwelling sin and God, in His goodness, is working to remove it. Such was the plan for the adulterous man in 1 Corinthians 5. Verse 5 says that he was handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. As Hebrews 13:3-5 says, God will use the hostility of sinners and Satan to work His fatherly, disciplining purposes. The other cause of discipline is immaturity and/or weakness. Sometimes we are not in sin, but we simply need to grow in specific ways and God is going to bring the needed pressure to make it happen. Hebrews 5:8 speaks of Christ, who was sinless. Yet the Father sovereignly ordained exactly the right circumstances for Christ to grow in His perfect, but thus-far-incomplete obedience. Already we need to notice a reason for encouragement; God is working in both.

This brings us to the results. We can look at them from two angles; the negative and the positive. No life situation is exempt from what can happen. People die, bodies become disabled, relationships end, financial situations erode, and ways of life are upended. All the terrible things that sinners and Satan can do are possible occasions or results of discipline. While that is sobering, the positive results are far more important. Here is a sample of what God produces with discipline: 1) good things – Heb. 12:10b 2) a sharing in holiness – Heb. 12:10c 3) a yield of the peaceful fruit of righteousness – Heb. 12:11 4) endurance and maturity – James 1:3-4 5) fruit-bearing usefulness – John 15:2 6) and understanding of God’s Word – Psalm 119:71.

The main difficulty at this point is knowing whether God is disciplining you because of some sin or because you just need to grow in certain ways. The answer comes in knowing your Bible. Does it expose some significant sin in your life that needs to be dealt with. Be diligent about knowing sin, be on watch for it, and use every difficulty to reevaluate and determine if sin has taken hold somewhere and must be removed. If you can’t find something like that, then trust that God is growing you for more usefulness. But mainly, be encouraged. Through all the pain and loss, Hebrews 12 says God is treating you like a son. He is working for your good because you belong to Him.

How does all of this compare with following Christ? Everyone who follows Christ will find that there will be certain sacrifices that come with following Him. They will choose one job instead of another. They will give a certain amount of money and effort instead of another. They will say and do things that create trouble for them instead of maintaining the status quo. They will put sin to death instead of letting it linger in the shadows of their lives and this will cause other problems that would not have happened otherwise.

When you sacrificially choose these things, enduring the pain that comes with them, be encouraged. God has done a clear work of grace in you. You are reflecting the worth of Christ in your choices and this is going to bear fruit.

At this point a sobering truth comes to the forefront. Brace for impact because it is heavy and unpleasant.

You should now be realizing that pain is the common denominator between both discipline and faithfulness. Discipline comes because of weakness (sinful or not) and it is painful. Faithfulness is exercised because of strength and it is painful. This is what it means to live in a sin-cursed world. Pain is not optional. The rich, healthy, and powerful will suffer. The poor, sick, and oppressed will suffer. The wicked and deceitful will suffer. The faithful, kingdom-pursuing, gospel-preaching saint will suffer.

The question is not will you suffer, but how will you suffer. The first option is to suffer as a patient and an athlete. The second option is to suffer as a blind man and a criminal. To belong to Christ means you will suffer as a patient under the skillful hand of the Great Physician who will remove the cancerous sin. It also means you will suffer as an athlete who pushes his body to the limits and refuses the pleasures of the lazy. Both of these have great joy waiting for them; spiritual health and eternal reward.

But to stand outside of Christ means you will suffer as a blind man who lives a life always slamming into morals and contradiction. It also means you will suffer as a criminal, a glory thief who is on the run, always looking over his shoulder and silencing his conscience.

There is no fruitful reason to question why God would put us where He put us; whether we struggle with certain sins or whether we live in a place where faithfulness is costly. Suffering is for everyone and His sovereign will has chosen a certain type for us. He is right and wise and good in His decision. The only question is this; will I be encouraged and embrace the suffering that such a good Father brings into my life because I believe the word spoken in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,…”

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