He Receives You, Therefore He Disciplines You

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." (Hebrews 12: 6)

Many of us grew up in homes where our parents disciplined us because they were angry, or they did not discipline us at all.

Because our Father loves us, and wants us to revel in His promises and full glory:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Go back one chapter, and John writes:

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)

We are sons of God. Yet we will be like Him.

How is this possible? We are sons of God, yet we are not like Jesus yet.

We are called to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18)

The Spirit of the Lord transforms us from glory to glory as we Jesus in the Scriptures, (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

Just like the jawbone of a donkey which Sampson used to slay one thousand Philistines (Judges 15), so too we are refined like to walk by faith in Him, not in our flesh:

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1: 17)

and

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 1: 7)

Our faith is based on a revelation of the grace of God and His gift of righteousness, accorded us through Jesus' death and resurrection at the Cross:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (Romans 5: 15-17)

We have been received, we are already sons, we are accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1: 6), therefore God our Father disciplines us away from relying our flesh, our efforts, and ourselves, to identifying with His Spirit (Galatians 5: 16), trusting in His righteousness (Isaiah 54: 14), living by His grace (1 Corinthians 15: 10)