Chasten: January 18, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 18, 2013

CHASTEN

DEFINITION:

Punish; reprimand; make chaste; to inflict suffering or punishment upon; to humble or improve; discipline; to refine.

SCRIPTURE:

If you endure chastening, God deals with you just as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? Hebrews 12:7

Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction. Proverbs 19: 18

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The word chasten as used in the Bible means to use methods of discipline for the purpose of teaching or improving a person. God is our heavenly Father and He deals with us as His children. As our father He desires that we love Him and be obedient to Him. We are all sinners and we are not naturally inclined to be obedient. God must chasten us just as a parent must chasten a child. He must correct us when we sin in order to improve our character. When we break God's laws, God chastens us by allowing us to suffer the consequences of our sin.

As parents we chasten our children when they break rules or cross boundaries. We call chastening punishment or a reprimand. We can remember many times, having six children, when we had to reprimand or punish one of our children. When our children were young they often could not understand what they did wrong. So it was our responsibility as parents to teach them. Most often children know immediately that they have done wrong and are ready with an excuse.

As our children got older each one was different. We had children that would press right to the brink of breaking the rules. They would think that possibly if they went only slightly over the brink, we would let it slide by. We had others, especially the younger ones, that learned by watching and listening and therefore knew what the limits were.

One of the rules that were constantly disputed in our family was the curfew we set for the time when they must be home. Several of our children were masters at coming in just a minute or so late and if we said they were late they would ask to compare watches and clocks. Others were often late and, of course, they always had an excuse.

There were no cell phones in those days so there was no way for us to contact them. It was hard for them to understand that when they did not come home on time we worried about their safety. Of course, now that they are parents, they understand. God is our heavenly Father and He is concerned about us as His children. He wants what is best for us.

As parents we not only set the rules but we established that there would be consequences if the rules were broken. God does the same thing with us as children of God. In the verse above from Hebrews, we are reminded that God will deal with us as His sons just as a father chastens his son (or daughter). We need the discipline of God in our lives. When we break His rules we will be chastened by God. This is certain and not a maybe and cannot be negotiated.

The prophet Hosea (Hosea 10:10) tells about God chastening the Children of Israel. He says, "When it is My desire, I will chasten them. Peoples shall be gathered against them when I bind them for their two transgressions" (multiple transgressions). Hosea does not say maybe God will respond but he says that He will respond when it is His desire.

We all know that we learned to do what was right through the punishments and reprimands from our parents. God is not vindictive when He chastens us, but it will not be a pleasant experience. He chastens to correct us and to refine us. When God chooses to chasten us it should be a learning experience that molds us into being more Christ-like.

The writer of Hebrews gives parents two warnings concerning chastening their children. The first warning is not to wait until it is too late to chasten your child. Parents must correct and discipline their children at an early age while there is still hope that the parent's instruction can have an impact on their life.

The second warning is that parents who over-indulge their child and refuse to correct them can bring about their child's destruction. It has been discovered that children who are not disciplined by their parents, feel their parents do not really love them because they do not care what they do.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 1:9.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

PRAYER:

Thank You that I can learn through the chastening You choose to give me. Help me to learn through these experiences to be more Christ-like in order that my life might be a testimony of Your love to a world that needs you.