WHAT DETERMINES THE SEVERITY OF GOD'S DISCIPLINE

47 AND THAT SERVANT WHO KNEW HIS MASTER'S WILL, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, SHALL BE BEATEN WITH MANY STRIPES.
48 BUT HE WHO DID NOT KNOW, yet committed things deserving of stripes, SHALL BE BEATEN WITH FEW. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."
Luke 12:47,48 (NKJV)

• Severity of God's discipline in a believer's life depends largely on what He has taught such a believer.

• To whom much is given much shall be required:
  "FOR everyone TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, FROM HIM MUCH WILL BE REQUIRED; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:48 NKJV).
• And the heart with which you receive God's correction or reproof determines the severeness of It also.
• If God has been condoning your shortcomings or immaturity, but discovered that you have taken His forbearance and long-suffering for granted, He may be more severed or harsher with you than He had been.
• God's goodness, leniency, forbearance, and long-suffering, should lead to repentance, and not to be taken for granted or be trivialized:
  "OR DO YOU DESPISE THE RICHES OF HIS GOODNESS, FORBEARANCE, AND LONG-SUFFERING, NOT KNOWING THAT THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE? 5 But in accordance with YOUR HARDNESS AND YOUR IMPENITENT HEART you are treasuring up for yourself WRATH in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:4,5 NKJV).
• Whoever is taking God's goodness for granted is calling for His wrath:
  15 AND the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 BUT THEY MOCKED THE MESSENGERS OF GOD, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, UNTIL THE WRATH OF THE LORD AROSE AGAINST HIS PEOPLE, TILL THERE WAS NO REMEDY" (2 Chronicles 36:16 NKJV).

"BUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR HARDNESS AND YOUR IMPENITENT HEART YOU ARE TREASURING UP FOR YOURSELF WRATH IN THE DAY OF WRATH and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."
Romans 2:5 (NKJV)

• The higher you go in God, and moved on, or climbed up in the ladder of leadership; He tends to increase the standards with which He relates with you.

• You may notice that, things He usually overlooked beforehand, are now being corrected with firmness.
• Leaders, those who teach others, would receive stricter Judgement—corrections and discipline:
  "MY brethren, LET NOT MANY OF YOU BECOME TEACHERS [ministers in general], KNOWING THAT WE SHALL RECEIVE A STRICTER JUDGMENT" (James 3:1 NKJV).
• The deeper your relationship and fellowship with God, the stricter the Discipline, when you erred or disobeyed. BECAUSE, He expected you to know better as a leader—His representative:
  47 AND THAT SERVANT WHO KNEW HIS MASTER’S WILL, AND DID NOT PREPARE HIMSELF OR DO ACCORDING TO HIS [master's] WILL, SHALL BE BEATEN WITH MANY STRIPES. 48 BUT he who did NOT KNOW, YET committed things deserving of stripes, SHALL be BEATEN with FEW. FOR EVERYONE TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, FROM HIM MUCH WILL BE REQUIRED; AND to WHOM MUCH has been COMMITTED, OF HIM they will ASK the MORE" (Luke 12:47,48 NKJV).

" SO WHOEVER KNOWS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND FAILS TO DO IT, FOR HIM IT IS SIN."
(James 4:17 ESV).

• God disciplines and corrects not like our earthly fathers do correct, as seemed best to them; but He, God, does, that we might be partakers of His holiness:
9 FURTHERMORE, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. SHALL WE NOT MUCH MORE READILY BE IN SUBJECTION TO THE FATHER OF SPIRITS AND LIVE? 10 For they [earthly fathers] indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, BUT HE [God] FOR OUR PROFIT, THAT WE MAY BE PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS" (Hebrews 12:9,10 NKJV).

• In other words, God's corrections are done that we might take after Him—be like Him in character, or holiness:
  15 BUT AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT, 16 because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY" (1 Peter 1:15,16 NKJV).

• Therefore, If it seemed that God were a bit stricter or severer with you in your relationship with Him, it does mean He loves you dearly and intimately:
5 AND you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, DO NOT DESPISE the chastening [discipline] of the LORD, Nor be DISCOURAGED when you are REBUKED by HIM; 6 FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES” (Hebrews 12:5,6 NKJV).

• He does not want you to be rotten characterwise. If you, however, did not cooperate with God, you did not receive the corrections with a good heart; He may be severer the more.
• But after several repeated failures, He may leave you to have your way, but that would not be without great repercussions or consequences (Jeremiah 5:3-6; Amos 4:6-12).
• Judgement is usually the next, after several repeated failures, when divine corrections are unheeded:
  26 FOR IF WE SIN WILLFULLY AFTER WE HAVE RECEIVED THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, THERE no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 BUT A CERTAIN FEARFUL EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26,27 NKJV).

"HE who is often rebuked, AND HARDENS HIS NECK, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1 (NKJV)

• You will not be destroyed in Jesus' name.
Peace!