“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6).
TEXT — Hebrews 12:5-13
Message
Shepherds in the old times often carry a rod and a staff. The rod redirects erring herds back into the fold while the staff caresses and cuddles compliant sheep. As in herding and helping sheep, there is a place for the rod and the staff in a human-divine relationship. The rod is for punishment, while the staff is for comfort. This two-sided approach to training and growth is needed for all-round human growth and development.
In our text, Apostle Paul brings a new perspective to the concept of reward: chastening and scourging. He posits that God chastens us as a token of His affection. God only corrects those wards that are responsible, and that respond to Him. The shepherd may sometimes leave the ninety-nine sheep to search for the lost one but rarely abandons the ninety-nine to pursue hardened, incorrigible ones. Chastening is a corrective means of bringing back home erring or lost souls. By so doing, God rebukes, corrects, and removes the erring ones from their downward slope to destruction, thereby bringing them into the reality of life. To mould character and mend broken lives, not only is the staff useful but the rod also.
Some individuals are so lost that unless they’re whipped into the path of rectitude, they will remain in the region of deception. God did this to Israel in the wilderness. He allowed enemy nations to defeat, capture, and enslave them for many years before stepping in to save them. Chastening is also God’s way of helping a believer see the way after the fogs of sinful living have derailed their spiritual journey. The preacher in the book of Proverbs maintains that he who spares the rod will spoil the child. Why is this so? According to Proverbs, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15).
It has been proven that where correction is properly applied, productivity is guaranteed. Human foolishness has led to many unfortunate occurrences, and God’s way of correcting those ills is very clear: repent and follow God or be ignored until greater calamity befalls. The former solution is preferred and will lead to a better society. It is a loving God’s way of bringing good out of man’s evil ways. It is better than the flood of Noah.
Thought for the day
Corrections complied with cancels adverse consequences.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
Am very glad for how cares for me and sustain families,we don’t have much but will thank God for his grace over us, and then also appreciate our father in the Lord who God has been using for us and also get a daily manner that young youths should impact very well.
Am very glad for how cares for me and sustain families,we don’t have much but will thank God for his grace over us, and then also appreciate our father in the Lord who God has been using for us and also get a daily manner that young youths should impact very well.