“because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son." Heb: 12:6
The company had found itself dealing with a
very lagging housing market in South Western Pennsylvania, which was not
unusual for this area, for even when the economy of America is doing well this
area of the country can find itself lagging behind.
As a result of the weak building market the
company decided to reorganize, and me being one of the newer employees, along
with some others, found myself laid-off and out of a job.
This lay-off began for me a period of
unemployment which lasted just under three years, for as aforementioned South
Western Pennsylvania can be a very difficult area to secure employment even in
a favorable national economy.
Now, just about the same time that I was laid-off,
another minister of our fellowship from a very different area of the country
was laid-off as well, and was then unemployed as was I.
This other minster called me one day and told
me about the circumstance which he now faced. This minister’s explanation as to
why he found himself unemployed was that he had been the victim of a
Satanically inspired inter-office conspiracy launched against him by another
department manager, and that jealousy was the main driving motivation for this
conspiracy, and a desire to acquire the funding for the department which this
minister oversaw within this corporation and taking this minister’s department’s
funding took this minister’s salary.
As time passed, I struggled to find
employment. I faxed, mailed and put in applications with no success. After a
while this other minister began to call me on a routine basis checking my “job search progress”, each time
asking me “where are you looking for a job? “what companies are you applying for? “what type of jobs?”, “what is your plan next?” “where will you look next?”.
These phone calls began to be more frequent,
sometimes they would come four or five times in a week, and as they were frequent,
these calls began to be wearisome and exacerbated my unemployment even worse. I
quite frankly got sick of these calls as I realized that this fellow minister
had assumed the role as my self-appointed job search monitor, which I
found quite confounding, seeing that, this other minister was, like
myself, still unemployed and unable to find a position himself, and was still
asserting and maintaining the status of being a victim of a Satanically
inspired inter-office conspiracy which was launched against this
minister due to jealousy.
Cycles of Divine Discipline
One evening, in the early Autumn, my phone
rang and I answered it, it was from this fellow minster. I can, after all these
many years still recall his words to me. Now remember, this minister’s
explanation for being unemployed was that of being a victim of a Satanically
inspired inter-office conspiracy, and at the time of this call was still
unemployed as I was.
This minister began in a very serious vocal
cadence, saying “I have been thinking about your situation” I
said “Yes?”, this minister continued “I believe that you are in the Cycles of Divine Discipline for
a hidden sin! And, not only that, but you have been deceived by Satan into
thinking that you are looking for a job, but you are not!”. I
was speechless, for the very first thought which I had was “Isn’t he unemployed too? And has been just as long as I?” “wouldn’t his unemployment qualify as divine discipline too?”
The next words which this minister spoke was
then to analogized me to a boxer who had been cornered in the ring and having
been pummeled by his opponent to the point of being nearly senseless and not
realizing my situation.
Circumstance as Evidence
Consider, that this minister attributed his
own circumstance to being a victim of a Satanically inspired inter-office
conspiracy as the reason for being unemployed, yet I, according to this
minister, found myself unemployed due to a “hidden sin” which
brought on “the cycles of divine discipline” on myself and was
evidence of God’s displeasure. I knew of no great sin which would be in
commission that would account for my circumstances.
A few months later I did find a very good job
in the field of advertising, possibly showing that God’s divine discipline had
run its course. This other minister’s unemployment did last for some time to
come, at the moment I cannot now recall how much longer it was.
Do our circumstance in life, whether we are
employed or unemployed, or sick or poor act as evidence regarding how God feels
about us, or if we are being disciplined by our heavenly Father? Do our
circumstances act as evidence of God’s discipline or disapproval or displeasure
toward us, his Children?
God Does Discipline
Writing to Hebrew Christians, people who may
have been taught that health, wealth and other outward evidences are the signs
of God’s approval and pleasure, the Holy Spirit inspires the words we find in
the Epistle to the Hebrews
“because the Lord disciplines the one he
loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son." Heb: 12:6
These words do indicate that God does
disciplines his Children, but do our given circumstance always reflect God’s
divine discipline in our lives? If we are poor or sick or unemployed is this
evidence of hidden sins in our lives as was suggested to me so many years ago?
Many faithful Christians over the centuries
have faced hardships in this life, some even lost their lives, others were
impoverished and displaced from their homes as we read in Hebrews.
“They were put to death by stoning; they were
sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and
goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—"Heb:11:37
Were these believers in “the cycles of divine discipline”? As we can read in the Holy Scriptures that our
loving Father in Heaven does discipline us, but our Earthly circumstance are
not always the evidence of “the cycles of divine discipline” in
our lives, it is true in some cases circumstance maybe, but most of the time
they are not.
So how does our God discipline us each and all
of us, we who believe in the Lord Jesus, by what means does God uses the most?
The Word of God
St. Paul writing to the young pastor St.
Timothy giving him pastoral guidance to minister to the local Churches for
which God has placed him as pastor, tells his young friend.
“All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness” 2Tim:3:16
St. Paul points St. Timothy to the Scripture
as God’s main means to correct believers. That is when the word of God is
taught the Holy Spirit will work and bring appliance to each and all of our lives,
sometimes it can be rather piercing and cutting to our very hearts as it
exposes each and all of our hearts, motivation and attitudes.
“For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb: 4:12
Prunes Us
Jesus himself speaks regarding the working of
the Scripture in disciplining his Disciples. Jesus refers to discipline as
pruning, as with a grapevine when the unfruitful parts of the vine is cut away.
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no
fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be
even more fruitful”. Jhn: 15:2
Jesus is comparing the Word of God to the
sharp pruning knife of a vineyard keeper who inspects each vine and cuts way
the non-productive parts of the vine so that in the end it will be even more
fruitful.
This tells us when we hear the Scripture
taught the Holy Spirit will reveal to us some branches of our lives which need
to be cut off and thrown in the fire so that we might bear more fruit.
Jesus is telling us that, out of love for us
our Heavenly Father disciples us, his Children, mostly through the Word of God.
Now, it maybe, if we persist in a pattern of behavior that is harmful God can,
in his divine prerogative, allow circumstance to be such, that we are being
discipline, but by enlarge this is not the case. God is gracious and spares us
from circumstances which we might create ourselves.
Over the centuries there have been many great
Christians who have been poor, sick and in terrible circumstance due to no
fault or “hidden sin” of their own and even bore these terrible
situations and even unemployment, with God loving divine approval. Some of
these great believers did great things and contributed to the collective and
advanced the work of the Church and still blesses the Church to this very
hour.
We are to look to Jesus and the Word of God
and trust in our Lord’s finished work upon the cross which reveals the
outworking of our salvation. We can with confidence trust is the
discipline of our Heavenly Father through his Holy Word.
Benediction: May we each and all receive our Father’s
divine discipline through his Holy Word all that we might bear much fruit all
for his glory, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen
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Rev. Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
“If
It's Not About Jesus, It's Not About Anything"
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