Grievous Chastening.

Grievous chastening. NO ONE likes to be chastened. 

Chasten means- to subject someone to discipline. 

Being discipline means-  enforcing the acceptable patterns of behavior, punishment to teach obedience.

Grievous chastening is not something we are supposed to enjoy. We are to endure it because we know that we are being taught to obey, taught to follow the Lord as we need to. We endure it because we know that the ultimate goal of the many hard learned lessons will be our holding fast to Christ's righteousness, and being partakers with God's holiness. The ultimate result of enduring the chastening and allowing ourselves to be taught obedience to God's will is only for our good.

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 

The many trials and tribulations we go through in our lives, the many chastening's we endure as we navigate this sin-filled existence, struggling to find the narrow way, struggling to be known by our Savior- known so that we may be called His, belonging to Him- are for a purpose. Teaching us that to obey our Creator, our Savior, to obey our Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Only Begotten Son of God.. this is the lesson we must learn. Obedience- surrendering our will which would have us try and demand obedience rather than give it. Surrendering to the love of God. We must be exercised by the tribulations, the chastising, the grievous times of our lives that can happen often, constant, or seldom. We need to allow God to work in us and let it be for His glory. We need to have all the situations we find ourselves in draw us closer to Christ, being exercised by the very things that would destroy us if Satan had his way.

Please, Lord, help us surrender, help us endure, help us learn obedience, help us be YOURS in all things, in all ways!

All through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and forever!