PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Ignorance of Discipline Being a Great Loss

It is indeed a great loss if God's children do not understand His discipline. Many people live a foolish life in the eyes of God for many years. They have no way to go on. They do not know what the Lord wants to do in them. They walk according to their own will and wander in a wild, unrestrained, and aimless way through the wilderness. God does not operate this way. He is a God of purpose. He does things for the purpose of molding a specific character in us so that we may glorify His name. All discipline is for the purpose of bringing us on in this way….

Discipline Being God's Dealing
with Us as with Sons

Verse 7 continues, "God deals with you as with sons." God deals with us as with sons. "For what son is there whom the father does not discipline?" What we experience is God's discipline. Today all discipline comes to us because He deals with us as with sons. Please bear in mind that discipline is God's way of honoring us, not afflicting us. Many hold the wrong concept that they are disciplined by God because God wants to torture them. No! We are disciplined by God because God is honoring us. He deals with us as with sons. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline? Discipline is God's honoring of us! We have become God's sons; therefore, we must be disciplined. God disciplines us in order to bring us to the place of blessing and glory. We should never think that we are tormented by God. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline….

Discipline Being the Proof That We Are Sons

Verse 8 says, "But if you are without discipline, of which all sons have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons." Remember that discipline is the proof that one is a son. God's sons are those who are disciplined by Him, and those who are without discipline are not His sons. A person has no proof that he is a son of God if he is not disciplined by God. The proof that one is a son is the discipline he receives.

All sons have become partakers of discipline. Every child of God needs to be disciplined, and you are no exception. Unless you are illegitimate, one who is adopted or bought, you must accept the same discipline! The apostle's word here is strong. All sons have become partakers of discipline. Do not expect to be treated differently if you are a son of God. All sons have become partakers of discipline…. If any child of God is foolish enough to think that there can be smooth sailing in his living and work and that he can be spared God's discipline, he is saying that he is illegitimate, that is, one who is adopted. We must see that discipline is the sign and proof that we are God's children. Those who are without discipline are illegitimate; they belong to other families and are not members of the household of God. If God does not discipline us, it means that we do not belong to His family.

Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, Vol. 3, pp. 692-699

APPLICATION

1. How can we infuse into our children a proper respect for and an honoring of the discipline they receive from us?

2. Have you come to realize the fact that the proper discipline is according to a definite set of guidelines with a view to producing a prescribed result?

3. What does it mean to say, "discipline is an arrangement of love"?