discipline

Recognizing the Answer

“I DID find it! I just didn’t realize what I was looking for!” 

After three hours of searching through a large box of Lego pieces to find a back piece of a helmet for my son (talk about finding a needle in a haystack), I felt a bit defeated. I didn’t think I had found the right piece. One thing I had forgotten to do was look at a model already built to make sure I was looking for the right part. I had an idea in my mind what it was supposed to look like, but when I looked at the completed models, I realized I was wrong. I was prompted to look again in the bag set aside for all the “people parts” we found. Sure enough, I had found the right part–I just didn’t realize it in the moment.

~~~

How many times have we prayed for something, but we already had it in our minds what the answer would look like? When we don’t see it, we believe our prayer was unheard or unanswered. Too often we forget that God’s Word is full of prayers answered, just not the way we humans expected them to be: a worldwide flood, Sarah’s pregnancy at 90 years old, Joseph being sold into slavery, the Hebrews in slavery in Egypt, the plagues of Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, manna, the Lord speaking to His people from Mount Sinai as they cowered in fear, the earth opening up to swallow the people who challenged the Lord’s anointed–and that’s just a few instances within the Torah. Throughout the Old Testament it seemed all Israel would do is disobey and rebel even when prayers were answered. In the past I would shake my head in dismay at the Israelites and ask, “How could they do such things after all they’ve seen?” Now, after getting older and making more mistakes, I read the same stories and say, “Oh Lord, how many times have I also forgotten what You’ve done for me, and yet You still forgive?” We are not so far removed from the ancient Israelites as we’d like to think.

The Israelites had been crying out for a Savior for over 400 years in Egypt, but when Moses first appeared at the Lord’s command (even though he also was afraid), they rejected their answered prayer when Pharaoh would not relent and made the work harder for the Hebrews. But God persisted, and He showed them– and the whole world– His power and might. They eventually were freed, but all too quickly they grumbled because they were hungry in the wilderness. They were willing to go back to being slaves and following what was familiar rather than trusting God. But even in that, God persisted. He provided manna and meat–all they had to do was gather the amount the Lord commanded. When they grumbled about water, the Lord provided even though they said to Moses, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3). The Lord even allowed the Israelites to hear Him speak from the mountain (Ex. 19:9-20:20) so that they would know He is the Lord God and that He has chosen Moses. The Lord spoke the Ten Commandments to all the people, but the people were so terrified that they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die” (Ex. 20:19). To this request Moses responded, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin” (Ex. 20:20). But it wasn’t long after that when Moses went on the mountain to meet with God that the people decided to make a golden calf to worship (even though the Lord told them directly to not make any idols). They went back to Egypt in their hearts instead of trusting the Lord they claimed to fear. They had asked for a Savior, but when they got one, they kept searching for other things to fulfill what they thought they needed.

The Israelites are often described in Scripture as disobedient and obstinate people because the Lord tells them exactly what to do to be in right-standing with Him, but they often reject it. Before Moses dies, he recounts to the Israelites–the new generation– of all the Lord has done since leading them out of Egypt. As they are about to enter the Promised Land, he reminds them three times in Deuteronomy 9:4-6 that the victories they will have over their enemies is not because of their righteousness but because of the wickedness of the people of the land. The Lord’s actions are to confirm His oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding the land and their inheritance (v. 5). Through Moses, the Lord makes it abundantly clear that He is the faithful one and any action against the Lord, such as serving other idols, will result in death. And there was a lot of death for the Lord is holy, and Israel was set apart to be a holy nation; therefore, the only way to maintain holiness is to get rid of wickedness. Yet no matter how obstinate Israel became, the Lord continued to be a Father to them so that they could learn the right way:

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.” Deuteronomy 8:3-6 (NASB)

In Hebrews 12, the writer reminds Jewish Christians of the same lesson in discipline in verses 5-6 (quoting Proverbs 3:11-12):

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;

For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

The passage in Hebrews continues with the importance and necessity of discipline, “so that we may share His holiness” (v. 10). Is this not the same lesson He was teaching the Israelites as they came out of Egypt? The reward is also the same: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (v. 11). Righteousness, the ultimate goal that sets us apart, can only be obtained through discipline. Discipline is not a one-time moment but an intentional, ongoing practice in order to reach a specific goal. I believe this is why we struggle with it and why we often miss this as an answer to prayer. We often don’t like answers that aren’t an instantaneous result. Can God provide instantaneous results? Yes! Has He done that before? Absolutely! And any time He has or does, it’s for His glory, not ours. Yet most of the time, discipline is the answer. 

Without disciplining ourselves in studying His Word, how will we know truth? Without disciplining ourselves in prayer, how will we know His voice? Without disciplining our minds, how can we combat the enemy? Without disciplining our emotions, how can we act with wisdom and understanding? Without disciplining our flesh, how can we let go of sin in our lives? Without disciplining our desires, how can we be obedient to God’s will? While we may be like the ancient Israelites in many ways, we have the benefit of learning from their mistakes. Many of the answers to our prayers are right in front of us–but we can’t recognize them if we don’t examine the completed model first: God’s Word of truth.

~~~

To go back to my Lego story, I spent time feeling defeated because I didn’t take the time to find out what I was actually looking for. I was looking for what I imagined the part to be when all the time I had already picked it up, examined it, and set it aside to keep searching. In my Christian walk, I’ve prayed about many things and some answers have been obvious whereas many others seemed unheard or unanswered. But the Lord is so gracious to give us His Word which is truth. Any time I’ve stopped following my own idea of what an answer should look like and took time to study God’s Word, it never fails to encourage and admonish me in the right direction. The truth about trusting the Lord, knowing that He is always faithful, should always be at the forefront of my mind with each situation I face. His will is to discipline me to grow in His truth so that I can be righteous. It is not always pleasant–often it’s the opposite as Scripture says (Heb. 12) – but if I allow Him to work in me, there is only a reward and not a failure. The Word of God is the complete model so if I seek His truth first, I’ll be able to recognize His answer.

© Lauren Demuth

Embrace the Spiritual Pollen

I love spring. Everything is green and new. No matter how many times I experience it, I never get tired of seeing the budding, blossoming, and bees buzzing–the world comes to life again. Besides these signs of spring, there’s also another tell. One may even say it’s a nuisance or annoyance. I’m sure you guessed it: pollen. I don’t recall having seasonal allergies until a few years ago. Before that, I never really understood what people were feeling when they experienced them. But last weekend, as I worked in the garden to prepare for planting, I started to feel the symptoms: runny nose, itchy eyes and scratchy throat. The next morning, there was no mistaking the culprit as I looked to see my red car turned yellow. 

What’s interesting about pollen is that it’s not actually harmful to us. Rather, some people’s immune systems treat it as a threat, thereby creating antibodies and releasing histamine and other chemicals in their bodies. This is what creates all the nasty symptoms. Since I’ve been gardening I’ve come to realize the importance of pollen, and as I looked at my newly-coated car, I was not annoyed but rather in awe of God and His creation. Pollen is necessary for plant reproduction whether that be for conifers, fruit-bearing plants, or other types. It is an ingredient to grow life, how God made His creation to reproduce after their own kind. We see the clouds of pollen produced by trees that need the wind to help them reproduce. We see the bees carry the pollen from flower to flower and back to their hives, not only helping plants to bear fruit, but they produce food for themselves and for those of us brave enough to get it. 

As I thought more about this amazing process, God reminded me of our spiritual growth process as Christians. We have moments, trials, people, and other things in our lives that may seem like a nuisance or an annoyance. We may even fight against what’s happening to us. But what if some of those things are really spiritual pollen–helpful steps on our path to bear fruit? Just like many people’s bodies reject pollen and create a fighting response, sometimes we misunderstand these necessary steps in our lives as being harmful rather than helping us to bear fruit. Discipline is the first thing that comes to mind. 

“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? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 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 12:7-11 (NASB)

As Christians, we have both the Spirit and flesh warring daily, just like our bodies fighting off the pollen. While I’m not saying that all trials and difficult moments are from God, I believe that many of us recognize the moments where God is stretching and disciplining us in ways that may be uncomfortable or outside of what we want for ourselves. We may receive a nudge in a certain direction and be too afraid to step forward. We may be asked to forgive someone and relinquish bitterness that is hard to let go. We may be told to step out of a relationship that doesn’t honor God. Our goal is to become like Christ and our flesh will not let us do that easily. But thankfully the apostle John reminded us that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). James also encourages believers: 

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

When we’re going through something that frustrates, annoys or confuses us, let us ask God first if we’re supposed to fight it, or if He is trying to lead us to a place to bear fruit. If we ask Him in faith, He will let us know. James continues to write in 1:5-8:

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

If we want to take the pollen analogy one step further, we could say that taking an anti-histamine allows our bodies to return to normal, showing us that we really don’t have something harmful in us. But we can’t just take one allergy pill and be fine. Most instructions say to take one pill every 24 hours, which means that it’s a daily medicine for as long as it’s needed. In the same way, God’s truth–His Word–is our anti-histamine, allowing us to see the truth of what’s unfolding around us and in us. It is only His truth that leads us to bear fruit and the process involves some hard decisions, and yes, even trials. Our hope and assurance in making it through is that Christ already paid for us with His life. We just have to be willing to bear with a little pain now to reap the glorious rewards in His eternal kingdom. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9

The next time you step outside and feel those symptoms start to take over your body, remember that it’s part of the process to bear fruit. Ask yourself (maybe after you take an allergy pill to clear your mind 😉 ) if there are areas in your life where God is disciplining you and teaching you so that you can also bear fruit. More importantly, ask God what work He is doing in you and where He desires to lead you. Instead of us letting our flesh dictate our emotional responses, let’s call on the Lord and let His Spirit guide us into wisdom so that we may produce a tremendous harvest for His kingdom.

© Lauren Demuth

Spiritual Before Physical Well-Being

With a brand new year ahead, many of us will begin disciplining our bodies (again). We are going to eat better and exercise more. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, along with our physical discipline, we should be even more eager to be spiritually disciplined. Paul’s words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:6-10 reveal what our number one goal should be: godliness.

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” (NASB)

Godliness isn’t arrogant or boastful. Rather, people who are truly godly recognize the need to be humbled because they are sinners saved only by grace. They strive to defy their flesh and be like Christ in order to please God and to be lights in this depraved world. Increased godliness leads to increased faith which leads to more suitable workers for the harvest, thereby resulting in a growing kingdom of God.

It all begins with us. The harvest is ready. Are we?

 

©Lauren Heiligenthal