Discipline…Why?
Perhaps, like many of us, you have wondered why do bad things seem to happen to people we know that do good for others. The writer of Hebrews asks a related question, “…for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” found in the 12th chapter of Hebrews, verse 7. The implied answer is NONE. For every true child of God is disciplined at one time or another. Since every child is unique, then God knows exactly how to be most effective with each individual believer. So we now know that all of God’s children do suffer.
Psalms 34:19 states “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” In John 16:33 Jesus says, “In the world you shall have tribulations; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” And the apostle Paul stated, “…all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” in 2 Timothy 3:12. And there are probably many other references in Scripture if time allowed.
Why then do believers in Jesus Christ suffer at all? I turned to one of my favorite bible scholars, J. Vernon McGee, to see what he had learned over so many years in ministry and his own suffering. He listed seven reasons which are summarized below.
Causes of suffering are because:
(1) of our own stupidity or foolishness and our own sin,
(2) we took a stand for truth and righteousness,
(3) we suffer for sin in our lives which are not dealt with yet,
(4) of our past sins; though forgiven, the fruit of that sin may linger,
(5) of some lofty purpose of God which He does not always reveal to the believer,
(6) of one’s faith in God, and
(7) of discipline. This is training in righteousness; not punishment. Our discipline is an example of God’s love for us.
At times, I wonder if I have been disciplined enough. Discipline is not something I look forward to experiencing. It usually proves to be uncomfortable for me. But I trust that God wants the best for me and He can be trusted on the when, the how, the method, and the length necessary to accomplish in me what He wishes to accomplish.
Thank you for spending your time with me. Hopefully, this was helpful to someone.
Vanished
What do I mean by “vanish”? The term’s meaning is to “disappear suddenly and completely.” Most of us have said or heard the phrase like “vanished into thin air”. But why write about it? Doesn’t vanishing bring to mind scary thoughts and for some folks tragic circumstances? Of course, it does for some.
But the day that I’m referring to will occur sometime very soon across the face of the earth. Family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers will be there one moment and gone in the next. Do not be surprised or deceived by false explanations of alien spacecrafts taking problem-makers away or out-right denials that the vanishings even happened. If this event occurs before your eyes or you hear about it briefly on the national news, that event is known as The Rapture of the Church.
The Rapture (this snatching away) will occur without any advanced notice to the general population. Believers in the Christ will be looking for it to occur, but will not know when. Christ comes to remove His Church from the earth to be at home with Him in heaven. This change will happen in the “twinkling of an eye” or as someone has estimated as eleven one-hundredths of a second (0.11 second). In that moment, the dead in Christ will rise first being transformed perishable (being dead) to imperishable. The body’s condition doesn’t matter whether buried six feet under, or buried at sea, or cremated, or never found. I have parents and grandparents who are waiting in death for this trumpet call of Christ as well as my wife’s parents and grandparents whose lives were wonderful examples of faithfulness in their lives and relationships with others.
No true believer in Christ will miss out on this event; not even the Christian who is in sin – though they may miss out on some of the rewards that follow. Then we who are alive will be caught up with them and changed from mortal to immortal. May I refer you to I Thessalonians 4:13-17 in the Bible.
Bill Wyler – 03/31/2019
Death is the saints’ gateway to Heaven
Death should be viewed as the time for going home. It is the gateway to having our full union with Christ. At that moment, we join a host of elected souls, ordained to forever experience a joy without bounds. The destiny of our dearly departed Christian brothers and sisters, family and friends, is so high that we have no words and no language to fully describe it.
So hold your friends and family lovingly but be ready to yield them to Jesus. Don’t hold them back from the One to whom they belong. When they are sick, fast and pray for their recovery. But when they depart and cross over to Jesus, do as David did, who washed his face and ate and drank. You will go to them one day; they cannot return to you. Comfort one another with the thought of their joy in Christ and Christ’s joy in them and the Father’s joy in Christ and in them.
Let no gloom surround and take hold of you. Dying is but going home. For there is no dying for the saints. Soon, we shall know more about Heaven than all the Christian scholars can tell us! Heaven is the place of great union with Christ and reunion with redeemed loved ones.
Let us remember what the apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14; “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
This comes from a book by Randy Alcorn, We Shall See GOD, Charles Spurgeon’s classic devotional thoughts on Heaven; Day 1 – Dying is But Going Home.
Psalm 119:35
“Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.” Psalm 119:35 (NIV)
Lead me and give me guidance and use me. Do a work within me both to will and to do whatever You command. May I be given the ability and a willing mind to walk in the course of Your Holy Scriptures. I’m in need of fresh supplies of grace and more spiritual strength, for the battle here is hard and difficult; sometimes victory seems so elusive to me. But I so delight with great pleasure in Your Word; it’s peace to a troubled heart and a charm that draws me back again to Your heart and path.
The Revelation (2:8-11) – Smyrna (persecuted believers)
Smyrna (the Persecuted Church) – Christ watches what they are doing and knows of the coming persecution they face. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Revelation 2:8-11 NASB
[8] “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: [9] ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. [10] Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. [11] ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’
The church at Smyrna was in continual persecution. John McArthur wrote, “Throughout its history, the more the church has been persecuted, the greater its purity and strength.” We can be assured that the church at Smyrna had a strong fellowship and pure in their faith. Notice that they received no condemnation from Christ. Take notice of how many Christians today are persecuted and killed for their faith in the Middle East now.
But why the persecution of the church in Smyrna? The city was founded by Alexander the Great. During the decades that followed, there were many wars and battles fought that left parts of the old city destroyed and rebuilt over time. However, by John’s writing of the Revelation, it had become one of the most beautiful cities in Asia; called “the Crown of Asia”. As a center of science and medicine, Smyrna had a large public library and a museum.
It also was a center for pagan and emperor worship as many of the cities listed in Revelations. Annually, the citizens were expected and commanded to ofter a sacrifice to the emperor. Those not doing so could be executed or fined or both. So all citizens and thus the Christians of Smyrna were confronted with the need annually to choose between saying, “Jesus is Lord,” or “Caesar is Lord.” It meant a great deal of pressure and persecution to not say “Caesar is Lord.” How would many of us respond if we were required to say “Allah is Lord”? Just a thought.
There were two extremes that these Christians lived with constantly. On one hand, they had a very rich, warm, and loving fellowship within the church which strengthened their faith. But on the other hand, outside the church, they were faced with continuous hurtful and unfair treatment by the citizens of Smyrna which resulted in persistent hostility. The Smyrna Christians were considered ‘rebels’ because they refused to offer sacrifices in emperor worship and as ‘athesits’ because they refused to participate in the pagan religious. All this cost many of them the loss of their possessions and livelihoods; hence the “your poverty (but you are rich)” reference in verse 2:9.
Lesson for me
True Christians are meant to persevere regardless of the personal cost by keeping their eyes on the eternal rewards mentioned in James 1:12. Or will the Western culture so influence me that I remain silent when I should be bold?
POEM: Author Unknown
I counted dollars while God counted crosses.
I counted gain while He counted losses.
I counted my worth by the things gained in store,
But he sized me up by the scars that I bore.
I coveted honors, and sought for degrees.
He wept as he counted the hours on my knees.
I never knew till one day by a grave,
How vain are the things that we spend life to save.
I did not yet know, ’til a Friend from above,
Said, richest is he who is rich in God’s love!
Bill Wyler
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