Legitimate Child

"Endure hardship as discipline;

God is treating you as his children.

For what children are not disciplined by their father?

If you are not disciplined--

and everyone undergoes discipline--

then you are not legitimate,

not true sons and daughters at all.

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 spirits and live!

They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best;

but God disciplines us for our good,

in order that we may share in his holiness."

Hebrews 12:7-11

Her husband suffered from kidney failure.  Even after receiving a transplant, the new organ failed and soon he was back on dialysis.  Because of the difficulties with his body accepting the donated kidney, his doctors deemed him an unfit candidate for future transplants.  Consequently, he will be on dialysis for the rest of his life.  

Soon after this young couple settled into this new routine, another health scare came their way, this time in the form of cancer attacking her body.  What now?  She thought.  Don't we have enough to deal with, Lord?  Even as she asked, she knew the answer:  It's all being used to transform me into Your image, Father.

It's easy to get frustrated and downhearted when I struggle, suffer and endure trials. I can reassure myself, however, with the truth that I belong to God and He loves me too much to leave me as I am.  Instead, He uses the circumstances of life to mold me into His image.

Submit

"Curse God and die!" 

That was the advice given to Job by his wife.  This man had enjoyed a successful, fruitful life until one day when he went from the greatest man known in the East to perhaps the most miserable man who ever lived.  In one 24 hour period he lost his wealth and his children.  As if that were not enough, he then was afflicted with painful sores that covered every inch of skin.  A more tortured man never existed.

Instead of fighting the Lord's plan, however, Job submitted by falling on the ground to worship God saying, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there.  The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."  (Job 1:21 NKJV)

As Steven Curtis Chapman sings, "God is God and I am not."  The sooner I accept this truth and place myself under His sovereign authority, the closer I am to adopting the attitude of Job.  Whatever God allows into my life will be used by Him for good. (Romans 8:28)  Sometimes good doesn't feel good, and most of the time it doesn't live up to my expectation of good, but only God knows what truly is good. (James 1:17) So, I must trust Him.

When enduring hard times, the sooner I yield to God's purifying work in my life, the better.

Temporarily Painful

Anyone who has done any kind of physical training understands the adage, "No Pain, No Gain."  In order for progress to be made, whether that goal is a faster time completed, heavier weight lifted or bigger muscles and less body fat obtained, I will go through some kind of discomfort.  Athletes understand this necessary pain as temporary and simply a sign that growth is imminent.

In a similar way, I am like an athlete in training as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  As I undergo conditioning in the form of difficult circumstances, uncomfortable conditions, and painful suffering, I can take on the attitude of one who is enduring the temporary pain as a way of achieving long term gain.  (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

When enduring suffering, keeping the proper perspective will help me persevere.

Harvest

My cucumbers were under attack!  Some kind of borer had attacked the woody part of the vine, chewing through until one day it suddenly withered into a pitiful pile of useless leaves.  Thanks to that invading pest, I was never able to harvest any cucumbers that fateful year.

It's hard to garden successfully when there are so many enemies waiting to destroy the harvest.  My walk with Christ is kind of like that.  When hard times come, the Enemy is there to whisper words of despair and discouragement in my ear, tempting me to think I'm not loved and that God has abandoned me.  Nothing, however is further than the truth.

Just as a refiner of silver keeps his eye on the precious metal as he holds it to the hottest part of the fire, so my Father in heaven purifies my heart.  His eye never leaves me lest I burn, for it is never His intention to hurt me.  Rather, it is His purpose to burn away all impurities, leaving nothing but a heart devoted to Him.  (Malachi 3:3a)

When enduring difficulties, God will use it to produce a harvest of righteousness.  (James 3:18)

No one likes discipline, but it is a necessary part of living under the authority of another.  When I go through the trials of life, I can remember that my Father in heaven is demonstrating His love for me by treating me as His very own.  Therefore, I can learn to submit myself to His loving hand, keep in mind that the pain is temporary and that the harvest that is to come will make it all worth it.  Yes, it is good to be a child of God!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my place as God's child always before me.

When do I have a hard time submitting to God's discipline?

How do I fight His efforts to refine me?