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Topic: Chastisement Of True Sons
[DCLM Daily Manna 5 December 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Hebrews 12:5-13
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Key Verse: “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons” – (Hebrew 12:8).
MESSAGE:
Doctor Theophilus recalls with humour and gratitude his father’s role in ensuring that he went to school. As a child, he hated going to school; he played truancy by sneaking away to play with boys who were out of school. But as soon as his father discovered it, he gave him the beating of his life and kept him in constant check, making sure he was always in school. Now, as a medical doctor with a very successful practice, he can see why his father would not give up on him but made sure he went to school even when it seemed unpalatable to him at that time.
The passage today is about chastisement from God. Chastisement is part of God’s loving care for His children. To be without chastisement means one is “a bastard” and not a true son. Fathers, some of whom are not born again, correct their children according to their understanding and those children accept it. Truly, chastisement can at times look harsh and painful but at the end, it yields “the peaceable fruit of righteousness”.
Chastisement or correction is the means by which an erring person is brought back to reason and rectitude. Obviously, children and youths of these days are not as disciplined and cultured as the older generation. This is because “the rod of correction” has not been sufficiently applied to make them more pliable and responsible. Many will argue that it is not correction that makes people behave well. But the word of God is emphatic that a child left to himself will derail.
As Christians, when we discover our inadequacies through the Word, the leading of the Spirit or through leadership, we need a humble disposition, self-examination and prayer to chisel out all rough edges from our lives.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God’s correction is part of His care.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 10-14
