Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “The Discipline Which the Lord Gives Us.” In a household, if children grow spiritually and physically by obeying the law of God and parents’ words, they will be complimented by God and their parents. If not, they will be disciplined. God disciplines His loving children and even punishes everyone He accepts as a son. Just as a parent’s discipline is to benefit his child, God’s discipline is to benefit us. Therefore, we should not make light of the Lord’s discipline and not lose heart when we are rebuked by Him. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” If we allow our children to be obstinate, we really hate them when we don’t discipline them. We must discipline our own children. Hebrews 12:9 says, “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!” Deuteronomy 8:5-6 says, “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.” Hebrews 12:10 says, “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Psalm 119:71 says, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Job 23:10 says, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” It can be painful and sorrowful when we are being disciplined. However, bitter pills may have blessed effects. Discipline has great effects in our life. A sculptor first does a rough sketch for his work in his heart and then chips away unnecessary parts according to his sketch. God also chips away those unnecessary parts from us according to His image and likeness and sculpts us smoothly into a beautiful masterpiece. Even though we suffer pain being chipped away and polished through discipline, if we endure it well, we can have a harvest of righteousness and peace and be changed into what He wants us to be. It is the same with our children. Their future will be changed according to how we as parents nurture them. God sometimes sends us to a desert to grow like a big tree and to bear abundant fruit. Discipline and punishment are quite different from each other. Hebrews 12:8 says, “If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” God disciplines His own children. The purpose of discipline given by God is to make us repent and change and grow well. Psalm 37:23-24 says, “If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand.” Revelation 3:19 says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” When God disciplines us, He treats us as His own children. Even if some children play hookey and wallow in the mud, other grown-ups don’t rebuke them because they aren’t their own children. However, if their own children skip school and ?get filthy?, they will harshly rebuke them and send them to school. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” God disciplines us because we are His beloved children. Moses’ sister, Miriam, once criticized him against his remarriage with a Cushite woman. God was enraged with her and struck her with leprosy. Numbers 12:1-2 says, “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ‘Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?’ they asked. ‘Hasn't he also spoken through us?’ And the LORD heard this.” Numbers 12:9-10 says, “The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam--leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy.” God so loved her that He disciplined her harshly. Once a new believer complained before his pastor. “There are too many things forbidden for Christians. No drinking. No smoking. We can’t do either this or that! Extreme interference!” Then the pastor asked him, “What would you say if one cleans up his? dirty shoes with his designer suit?” “I will say, ‘What are you doing with your best suit? Are you crazy?” The pastor asked another question, “What would you say if someone uses precious bone china as his dog food dish?” No one would be quiet if one uses expensive china as a dog food dish. “How can I leave him alone? I would stop him right away!” Then the pastor said, “You are right! You are so precious because Jesus bought you by His Blood. Then how could God stay calm when you use your precious body as a drinking bowl by heavily drinking or a chimney by heavily smoking?” Therefore, when we enter a wrong path, God tries to correct us even by harsh discipline. Therefore, if we move forward with repentance when being disciplined, God heals and restores us. The Israelites rebelled against God and Moses after leaving Egypt. As a result, God disciplined them and let them wander in the wilderness until they all fell dead there. God said in Numbers 14:30 as follows, “Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” However, their children could enter Canaan following Joshua and Caleb. Numbers 14:31 says, “As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.” Punishment has quite a different meaning compared to discipline. The purpose of punishment is not to bring about change, but to be killed and abandoned by judgment. In Acts, there is a story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Acts 5:1-5 says, “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.’ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.” God killed him right away without disciplining him for the better. I think that he might have had a worse attitude than that being revealed in the Bible. We grow through discipline. There is no life without discipline. When God disciplines us, give thanks to Him. Isaiah 55:9 says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Therefore, if we move forward with repentance before God, He heals and restores us. Job 5:17-18 says, "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.” When we stick to the wrong path, God disciplines us, but if we repent, He will forgive us and correct us. Therefore, when we are under God’s discipline, if we come forward with repentance, it will turn out to be a blessing! It is very important to have the correct attitude during God’s discipline. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Fools despise discipline while blessed people accept God’s discipline with thankfulness. We should not test God; ?He will abandon us? if we try to test Him. Job 5:17 says, “"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” Hebrews 11:29 says, “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” 1 Corinthians 10:9 says, “We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes.” We must be broken to enter deeper and higher into the kingdom of God. We need to be broken to receive God’s training. 1 Peter 4;12-13 says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” When we are disciplined by God, we must give thanks to Him. Hebrews 12:5 says, “And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you.’” When David was being disciplined by God, he wasn’t discouraged but rather came before Him and prayed desperately. Psalm 30:2 says, “O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” When David repented of his sins and prayed to God, He healed him. So David gave thanks and praise to God who restored him. Psalm 30:4-5 says, “Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” We shouldn’t think, “God abandons me. Now it is the end of the world,” when God disciplines us. Rather if we repent of our sins and turn around, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.”(Psalm 30:11) God disciplines us to make us grow to be mature. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were punished and Ananias and Sapphira were also punished and killed. To be disciplined by God is to be taught to do better. On the contrary, to be punished is to be killed. Therefore, you shouldn’t be punished by God. Even if you are disciplined, you can be changed and then your discipline will be over. Let us obey God and be faithful to Him and through our spiritual growth we must make our effort to be protected, as new creations, through discipline, not ending up being punished.