Discipline

Jeremiah 30:11 (NASB)

But I will discipline you fairly.

These days we tend to frown upon the word "discipline" in the church. It's too harsh and rigid. We prefer terms such as grace, love, forgiveness, and such. Many saints fail to understand that God's discipline and judgment result from His mercy, which keeps us from sinning and being damned. It's the grace of God that chastens us as God disciplines us as His sons and daughters (Hebrews 12:6). Satan would love to be ultra-liberal with us and recommends that we do anything that makes us feel good (Genesis 3:4). But it's God's discipline that keeps our feet on the straight and narrow road (Matthew 7:14). God's chastening may be painful in the early stages of our Christian life as we have to undo and unlearn decades of bad living. But as we continue with the Lord, His discipline and interventions are welcome reminders as He keeps our feet from slipping. A saint learns to say, "your rod and your staff, they comfort me, O God."