LOVE AND DISCIPLINE

Jeremiah 30:1-31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19

“You disciplined me severely, like a calf that needs training for the yoke. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the Lord my God. I turned away from God, but then I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.”

“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.”

“Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow. Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.”

UGH! Today’s Scriptures read me. There it is in black and white, from bottom to top. I sin. Christ mediates and purchases my freedom. I feel stupid and ashamed of having once more let down my Lord. There must be a better, more productive way to live. This cycle doesn’t go anywhere. The same lessons are taught again and again. While I’d like to be a better student, the thing is, I don’t feel like that is the root of my problem. The plain truth is that, sometimes, we just need external discipline. Few can consistently make Godly decisions without a swift kick in the pants from time to time. That’s neither masochism on our part nor sadism on God’s. It is the way things are. Maybe it’s not really so bad, either. After all, Scripture is clear that no person truly loves another if they will not take the time, energy and risk to discipline them when they stray. Certainly, while admitting it was difficult, I actually felt more loved and secure knowing my parents cared what happened to me and would not hesitate to let me know if they thought I was off the mark. We all need the security of accountability. Life would be easier is we just accepted discipline instead of resenting and resisting it.

My biggest problem as a “repeat offender” stems from the fact that I tend to dwell on or obsess about my failures, instead of rising above them through Christ. Now, this is not intended to promote sociopathic behavior. Plenty of amoral people operate without a conscience and are never bothered by the thought of sin at all. They have no part in this particular discussion. But those of us who identify too closely with Paul’s wail, “Oh, wretched man am I!” need a way out of the rut we are in. When all we can see is the sin in our lives, whatever the intent, we have taken our focus off that which would save us. And so, God disciplines us, loving us in the process. Because the bottom line is that, if we understand who God is and what Christ has done, and if we continue to take advantage of His sacrifice, we still may need to pay a price before we can forgive ourselves. This logic is screwed up six ways to Sunday, and has nothing to do with true theology or the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, we cannot deny the human tendency to feel like there is no such thing as a free lunch. Without a certain amount of discipline notwithstanding our salvation, we won’t feel loved. Over the long haul, we won’t feel safe, and we will never be totally sure where we stand when we continue to sin.

Forgiveness without ongoing discipline is a lot like having a benevolent Santa continue to deliver gift after gift while requiring nothing in return. That’s not grace; it’s simply spoiling the recipients into an uncaring and unexamined lifestyle of ingratitude. When the presents keep coming and we make – and aren’t required to make – any effort to count the cost or respond by sharing with those less fortunate, we just get fat and lazy.

The difference between punishment and discipline is whether it is an end in itself or whether it leads to a better, more contented life. Discipline leads; discipline guides. Discipline recognizes and channels the potential of grace into new life with different goals. Further, discipline is not typically as helpful as it can be if it is only self-administered. We have to be accountable to someone we know loves us first, or we won’t usually make the effort. We want to please others. But we need Someone greater than our peers who is capable of loving us enough to save us from ourselves. We need to be accountable to the One who created us in the first place, and we need to know our accountability actually matters to Him. So God disciplines, even as he loves. We may not always appreciate His touch on our lives, pushing us back on track. But as we live with it and learn the beauty of a well-disciplined life, we may just find guilt is a thing of the past. We have a Father who wants to train us to live victoriously, to be above sin. Let’s not resist that discipline, for it is the most loving thing God provides.