“Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.”
~ Deuteronomy 8:5
Hi James and Ellen,
What does discipline mean to you? How often do your dad and/or ma discipline you? How do your dad and/or ma discipline you? Do your dad and/or ma always tell you why he, she or they have disciplined or are discipling you? Do you connect or equate discipline with punishment? Do you connect or equate discipline with having been disobedient and/or rebellious? Do you connect or equate discipline with physical and/or emotional pain? Discipline is often connected or equated with a prescribed chastisement or a predetermined correction for a disobedient and/or rebellious rule or law breaking action. When your dad and/or ma tell you that he, she or they are going to discipline you for one reason or another, you know that your dad and/or ma will choose from a number of options to discipline you. One of the options that your dad and/or ma may choose to discipline you may include taking a timeout – which has you sitting or standing someplace doing nothing for an established length of time, or going to bed early – which has you missing a favorite TV program or being spanked – which has you painfully and emotionally regretting for not doing what you were told to do or for doing what you were told not to do.
What do you think that discipline means to God? Moses – in Deuteronomy 8, explains the importance of being disciplined by God – as God the Father. Moses scribed what God – as God the Spirit, breathed on him to scribe. So when you read verse 5 – which says, “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.” you know that God – as God the Father, is talking to you through God – as God the Spirit, as God – as God the Spirit, has Moses scribe the words. Discipling a guy, gal or kid to God – as God the Father, means to Him having a guy, gal or kid be taught using a difficult, trying life lesson. As God was systematically unfolding His preprogrammed, choreographed schematic for His specially chosen guys and gals – who are the Israelite people group guys and gals, by having them wander aimlessly in an inhospitable wilderness, God – as God the Father, was disciplining His specially chosen guys and gals. God was teaching or instructing His specially chosen guys and gals to trust only in Him versus trusting in manmade idol gods that were handmade from wood, stone, clay and metal. God – as God the Father, used forty years – after He had set the stage to have His specially chosen guys and gals meander about a barren wasteland, to prove His divine power to them. At no time did God – as God the Father, during the forty years that He had His specially chosen guys and gals wander in a hot, scorching wilderness did He have the clothes that were being worn by a guy, gal or kid wear out. At no time did God – as God the Father, during the forty years that He had His specially chosen guys and gals adrift in an arid, parched badland did He allow the feet of any guy, gal or kid swell up. At no time did God – as God the Father, during the forty years that He had His specially chosen guys and gals suffer through an extended life training class in an extremely inhospitable and desolate environment did He let a guy, gal or kid stay thirsty and hungry.
A guy, gal or kid who finds himself or herself in a difficult, trying life training class that is being given to him or her by God – as God the Father, is to accept that God – as God the Father, is giving him or her the life training class for a reason. Your grandpaa knows that God – as God the Father, will have you go through – if He has not already had you go through, difficult, trying life training classes. God – as God the Father, uses difficult, trying live training classes – such as the forty year desert exodus that God – as God the Father, used for His specially chosen guys and gals to impress on them the importance of living their lives only for Him. God – as God the Father, uses difficult, trying life training classes – such as the forty year desert exodus class that God – as God the Father, used to teach His specially chosen guys and gals, to test the hearts of the guys, gals and kids who He especially elected to be His adopted kids before He created planet Earth. What was important 3400 years ago to God – as God the Father, was that His specially chosen guys and gals not forget what He had done and was doing for them. What was also important 3400 years ago to God – as God the Father, was that His specially chosen guys and gals faithfully obey a new law paradigm. What is important to God – as God the Father, today is that His specially elected guys and gals unconditionally accept the grace/faith door that God – as God the Son, opened almost 2000 years ago – that replaced a works door that proved to be an untenable option for a guy or gal to go through with a heart that only worshipped God through sacrifices and laws. Just as God – as God the Father, for forty years protected his specially chosen guys and gals from poisonous snakes and scorpions in a hot, barren environ and then led His specially chosen guys and gals into a land where their flocks, herds and wealth multiplied, God – as God the Father, is today doing the same for His specially elected guys, gals and kids. As a life obedience teacher, discipline is an absolute must in the life of a guy, gal and kid. God – as God the Father, expects His specially elected guys, gals and kids to remember that He disciplines them to impress on them to know Who He is and why He does what He does. If your grandmaa and grandpaa had not obeyed the voice of God – as God the Father, through the prompting of God – as God the Spirit, to be His servants as missionaries, your grandmaa and grandpaa may never have come to know what it is to be in the will of God – as God the Father. What do you think that God – as God the Father, – through the difficult, trying life discipline classes that He may have taken and will take you through is shaping you to be and do when you get older?
Deuteronomy 8 (630)