5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (Hebrews 12:5-6, ESV)

My mom used to talk about how they were treated in time past. She said that the most loving child amongst her siblings was the one that was without the rod of discipline. Those whom the parents loved were immune to rebuke and corrections. They thought they were doing that lovable child a good service by exempting him or her from their disciplinary actions.

It's quite fascinating that she said these children who were cherished most by their parents were even exempted from going to school. This was done to complete their love towards them. That's to exempt them from the disciplinary actions their teachers would give to them. These children were happier than the ones who were seen to be "outcasts" because they were disciplined when they do something wrong.

This treatment contrasts sharply with the words of the writer of Hebrews. He asked them a very important question. He said have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?'. This question is very important to those who are the children of God. It's important to those who've been redeemed by the blood of Christ and have been adopted as sons and daughters into the royal family of God.

One of the signs of true sonship is discipline. Does God discipline you when you sin? If not then there's a problem. It proves that you're an illegitimate child. Imagine how our earthly fathers try their best possible effort to discipline us in a moral and ethical way to be good citizens in the society. So even if our earthly fathers who are evil and are an imperfect reflection of the Fatherhood of God can do this for their children, shouldn't the eternal Father, the One who knows no sin and is the completeness of all perfection discipline his children?

Shouldn't the eternal Father discipline his children? Do we think that God would sit there and watch His child misbehave without rebuking him or her? The Father won't sit there and see his children spoil to shame Him. He will act and that's by laying the rod of discipline on His church. He does this that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:26-27, ESV)

His glory depends on the sanctification of his children and he will not fail (Philippians 1:6) . He will do everything possible to bring them back on track whenever they wander into sin. Therefore, knowing the importance of discipline, the wise man said "My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof," (Proverbs 3:11, ESV). This is a true saying. It must be received with gladness of heart. The rod must be embraced with a heart full of joy. For we know that our lights are going to shine greatly for all to see and give glory to God.

Do not disregard it. Treat it as something expected of Him. And endure the sufferings in His discipline. The writer then adds that

the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives.

Any child who is not disciplined is an illegitimate child as I've said earlier on. It means that that child is not under the care of his 'father' and is allowed to do whatever pleasing in his or her own eyes. Let's think for a moment about Esau and Jacob. The bible says that God loved Jacob and hated Esau. But how can we prove this? We know that Esau had everything he needed. Every material blessing was bestowed on him. Jacob, on the other hand, did not have as much as Esau had. But we can see that the hand of God was strong on Esau. The rod was never absent from his body.

The Lord cooked him. He passed him through the fire. It's therefore not surprising that he wrestled with God and he became a great nation - Israel. Do you want to know whether God loves you or not? Then check to see if you have the rod of discipline on your body. We know that the ultimate love that God gave to us was His Son. But those who received His Son are under his authority also. He's the Master of their lives and therefore treats them as sons and daughters. By virtue of being a child of God makes you an object of his discipline. Let's count it joy when we fall into sufferings for we know that in them, God is fashioning a better man for his glory.

Have you experienced the discipline hand of God in any way? Have God taken anything dear to you to make you a better Christians? Share with us I'm the comment section.

I will recommend from this post by @fred703 and check what happened when Eli failed to discipline his children.
image source
It's your friend Nana Yeboah
@gadol from @sc-g