Your Heavenly Father proves His love...
Hebrews 12:5-6 caught my attention the other day while I was reading. “...My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth, he rebuketh, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible says the following about these verses: “Here is the reason why we should neither neglect correction, nor faint under it: it is a proof of the fatherly love of God Almighty, and shows his most gracious designs towards us; from which we may be fully convinced that the affliction will prove the means of good to our souls, if we make a proper use of it.”
It is easy to quench the Holy Spirit; one way we often quench God's Spirit is by not paying attention, or even despising it when we are chastened. This word chastening, in Srong's Exhaustive Concordance, is #G3809, paideia (pahee-di'-ah) and the meaning includes tutorage, educational training; by implication disciplinary correction,-chastizement and nurture. When the Spirit of God begins to check you, don't just say to yourself, “Oh, that must be the devil....” and then relax (faint) and go about your day. When you are rebuked by the Spirit of God, endure the the chastening with courage and determination to be a good learner; bringing glory to your Father. Don't despise Him when He says, “Don't be blind on this point anymore, you are not where you thought you were (we usually are not....). Up to now you were not ready for me to reveal this to you, but now I reveal this to you.” Let Him have His way. Then you can relate rightly to God. He only brings this to you when you are ready...He knows your frame and remembers that you are but dust...Ps. 103:13-14.
Another way we quench the Holy Spirit is to begin sulking over the correction, saying, “Oh well, that's just the way I am.” Or, “Oh well, I prayed about it and it did not turn out right, that is just the way things worked out...I give up! I am not even going to try anymore.” How would that work in your job? Your other relationships? You would be the loser....
I have to ask myself, am I prepared to allow God to grip me in His power and do a work in me that is worthy of Himself? Sanctification, becoming holy, is God's idea of what he wants to do for me, and He has to get me in the attitude of mind and spirit where, at any cost, I will let Him sanctify me wholly. Am I making proper use of this affliction so that it will be for the good of my soul as God gracefully designs?
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