The Joy of Discipline.

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yeildeth the peacable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:11 That is one of my favorite verses. I have told my family that I would like to hang that verse on my wall with the words, "Discipline is hard; but it brings peace and joy." I know that it seems like an odd verse to have among those most precious, but I have good reason. Any parent can tell you, unless they are lying, that discipline is hard not only for the child but also for the parent. A great pastor M. W Lawrenz said that "a child is born without the desire to be a peacemaker; but rather for war."In other words, We are all born with a desire to get, to have our way, selfish. As a child grows he is either taught peace and giving or is allowed to feed his selfishness sin nature. Not being able to simply give my daughter whatever she wants is hard. When I have to discipline her it is hard to see her tears. But I bite my lip and tell her in love why I must do this. It is for her good. So it is with our Father. He must discipline His children to build them into righteous people. If we always got what we want, did what we want, and got away with it we would be a terrible people indeed. Just look at the state of our country. Americans are a culture of get what I want and if I don't I will lie and/or steal to get it. We do what we want. Now our country is suffering the consequences. Disease is rampant and our leaders are turning their back on the God who made us who we were. But that is a post for another day. Our elders, our parents, and grandparents knew the value of discipline. Not just with children. It takes personal discipline to discipline children well because it takes dedication. Discipline in anger will only breed bitterness and anger. A disciplined person can do it with forethought, love, and wisdom. Discipline is here for our good, to make us better than we are. The verse says, "nevertheless afterward it yeildeth the peacable fruit of righteousness unto them which are excercised thereby." I love those words, "the peaceable fruit of righteousness." So true. Righteousness has never been anything but peaceful. A righteous man has peace in his ways; and peace yeilds joy. Righteousness is the joy that comes from discipline. With our children, all we can do is pray for wisdom and discipline the best you know how. Afterwards, just pray that they will grow into righteous men and women. You have done your part so the rest is up to them. So it is with us. God will chasten; but will we choose righteousness or rebellion.