Friday, December 13, 2013

Chastise as needed


Again I ask…

'What child has ever been raised without any chastisement?
 Is it possible to raise a child without  chastising them? I'm not saying abusing them, but chastising them?'

Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

chastisement,G3809 -Greek (Strong's Dictionary)
- Original: παιδεία
- Transliteration: Paideia
- Phonetic: pahee-di'-ah
- Definition:
1. the whole training and education of children (which relates to the cultivation of mind and morals, and employs for this purpose now commands and admonitions, now reproof and punishment) It also includes the training and care of the body
2. whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, esp. by correcting mistakes and curbing passions.
a. instruction which aims at increasing virtue
b. chastisement, chastening, (of the evils with which God visits men for their amendment)

The Lord chastens us.
The Lord trains and educates us- cultivating our minds and morals.
The Lord commands, admonishes, reproves, and punishes us.
The Lord trains us.
The Lord corrects our mistakes.
The Lord curbs our passions.
The Lord increases our virtues.

How does the Lord do all this?

It's a daily work, an ongoing way of life just as no parent takes a child and limits their chastening to a certain time frame but rather chastens them as it is needed on a daily basis. 

We are the Lord's children. We are called to never forget that we are created and our Creator is our God, our Savior, our Redeemer. God with God created us, the Father God and God who would be the Son created us!  Jesus the Son now shares God the Father with us. Having human flesh from one born from one created in the beginning, coming into the world born in the flesh, arriving as a helpless newborn babe the Son, God with us shares with us humanity. The Heavenly Father will forever be our Father and we will forever be His children- children meant to grow up spiritually in Him. Children needing chastising as we are taught, as we are trained, as our spiritual natures are nurtured.  Just as every single one of us has been chastised as we grew up physically, and just as we chastise our own children and they will chastise  their children and so on, we need to have spiritual chastisement in order to grow in the Lord. We cannot despise this chastising, we must endure it in whatever form it takes knowing that we are loved by the Father and are sons and daughters of God.

Forgive us, Lord, please forgive us! We need You so desperately to forever chastise us as long and as much as we need that chastising so that we maybe be Your sons and daughters, loved by You! Teach us, train us, guide us, help us as ONLY YOU can do! 

No matter the form of the chastisement, Lord, we only hope and pray that You work in us all that needs to be worked in us so we maybe YOURS, wholly YOURS.

In Your LOVE always!

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