“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Hebrews 12:7)
It was August, and the Ellisons’ air conditioner had broken down. Mrs. Ellison called the repairman, who tested the unit and took it apart. To his surprise, he found large quantities of sand in the outdoor fan. Mrs. Ellison asked her children if they knew how the sand had gotten in. Sadly, they admitted that they and their neighbor friends had made a game of throwing sand into the fan and running away before it could blow back into their faces.
Mrs. Ellison reminded them of the rule they had broken: sand was not supposed to be thrown or removed from the sandbox. Because of the children’s disobedience, the family would spend hundreds of dollars to replace the broken fan. The Ellison children would do extra cleanup in the yard as punishment, and a trip to Six Flags would be cancelled so that the money could go toward a new air conditioner. The Ellison children learned to take better care of property and to obey authority.
Mrs. Ellison also asked the neighbor children not to throw sand into the new fan. She explained about the damage, but she did not punish them. They went to their own yards and threw dirt and sand into their air conditioning fans. Soon other families were calling the same repairman and buying new air conditioners.
Why didn’t Mrs. Ellison discipline the neighbor children? They had knowingly broken the rules along with her children. But they were not her children, so she did not punish them.
Like an earthly parent, our Heavenly Father corrects His children. When He chastens us and teaches us not to sin, it is a sign of His love for us and of our place in His family. Although we do not enjoy chastening while it is happening, we should be thankful that He cares for us and wants to help us become more holy, more like Him.
“Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law.” (Psalm 94:12)
God’s chastening reminds us that He is our loving Father.
My Response:
» Am I truly God’s child? Does He chasten me?
» Do I accept His correction gratefully, recognizing it as a proof of His love?