Discipline

Suffering can come in different ways. Some suffering is caused by our own stupid actions and sins. Like for me when I went through my divorce. I caused it, but it still hurt and was painful. When I was still drinking I cause a lot of health issues, though I caused it, it was still painful. So when I sin I have consequences to those sins. The bible tells us once we ask for forgiveness God forgives us, but that does not mean the consequences of our sin goes away. Because of my poor choices and sins I am still struggling through the consequences of it. I cant see my kids. That is a huge and hurtful one. But what I tend to do is to forget to lean on Jesus. I might never get to do what I love to do again, but maybe I will. God is a good Father and He disciplines those whom He loves. Not to be a mean and hurtful Father, but a loving Father that uses these things in our lives to bring us back to Him. Pastor Tom Nessbitt use to say that if you don't ever get disciplined by God you might not be one of His. I think the passage below really explains it well! One warning, it would be easy to think that because you are sick or going through something is a result of discipline. Well that is not the case. Sometimes we are sick because we are just sick. God is allowing it in our lives. Or we are going through a tough time because we are just going through a tough time. And God uses those things to mold us and make us better because of it. We usually in our hearts know the difference. Because only us know if we have been sinning which we need discipline for or we have not.

Hebrews 12
³ Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. ⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
    nor be weary when reproved by him.
⁶ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

⁷ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹ Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹ For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.