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Anger, Discipline, Friend, God's Goal, Hebrews 12, Joy, King Solomon, Love, Peace, Proverbs 3, Wise Sayings
God has a goal for me. Primarily God wants me to grow up and not be a child my whole life. Growing up requires discipline from a father. God is in a good mood and disciplines me for a reason. It is out of true love. So, what is the goal of discipline? “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11)”
Is discipline the same as punishment? The short answer is no. Discipline is a method of teaching a child self-control, confidence, and responsibility. The key to discipline is teaching a child what behavior is okay and what behavior is not okay. … Punishment is quite different from discipline. Punishment may be physical as in spanking, hitting, or causing pain. The focus of punishment is always past tense: “First you did this, then you did this, and now you have to pay the price.” In His mercy, God wiped away all eternal, spiritual implications of our pasts; He doesn’t treat His children according to the rules of punishment.
Discipline is future-focused, always pointing toward future acts. It has nothing to do with retribution and everything to do with redemption. Whereas the purpose of punishment is to inflict a penalty for an offense, the purpose of discipline is to train for correction and maturity. Whereas the origin of punishment is the frustration of the parent, the origin of discipline is a high motivation for the welfare of the child. And whereas the result of punishment is fear and shame, the result of discipline is security. Discipline always holds the child’s best interests, not the parent’s anger, in the forefront. It is never out of control.
God’s goal is for me to love discipline. Now that is tough to do but the more I am disciplined, the more I know and grow. Consider Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.”
How do I know that God loves me so very much? Consider Proverbs 13:24 “He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” It is in fact proof that I am a child of God when God disciplines me. “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:5)”
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
a father’s delight is behind all this.
Source: Proverbs 3:12 (The Message)
Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts 
Discipline is the major feature missing from most Americans today. They’ve grown to be consumers rather than proactive on beliefs.
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I agree 100%. When I was in college, I went to a program in North Carolina called “Disciplined Life in Christ”. It was the first summer they held it and it was a full summer of learning to be a Disciple in a structured, family environment. There were 40 of us for the summer. The next 2 summers, I can back to be on staff. The program is still going and the need is even more clear, year after year. It helped me tremendously at a critical time of my following Jesus.
Be blessed. God is with you.
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Very good distinction between the two “disciplines.” When God deals with his children his discipline and instruction are very mild; if one is rebellious, it hurts worse. The closer you cling to the Father, the less his discipline stings. I do believe a loving Father sometimes disciplines as punishment. Or at least we bear the natural consequences of wrong behavior. Is there a difference?
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It probably isn’t always clear whether something is discipline or punishment. Many references to punishment in the New Testament have to do with the final judgement at death or the resurrection.
An example is 2 Peter 2; “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”
Be blessed and may we embrace the blessings of disciple.
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We need to reflect the Christ who died in our place for our sin, so we may glorify for that wonderful gift He gave to us.
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