Discipline and suffering are not popular subjects for a Christian.  I will admit that when I hear about suffering for what I believe and being disciplined by the Father, I sometimes cringe.  But, without a knowledge of these two topics, and without an explanation of why they happen, then when we do suffer, or when we are disciplined, we may think that we are unloved or being punished.

When trying to learn about such topics it is always important to keep Christ as our ultimate and perfect example.  Whether this is in death, resurrection, suffering, or discipline, Jesus Christ is the supreme illustration of how our walk should be.

Discipline:
Have you ever been in a place where God has disciplined you for going astray?  I mean REALLY disciplined you?  I can remember that after I came to Christ, and the initial excitement had worn off, I began to gradually sink back into some old habits.  I can distinctly remember God disciplining me in a “tough love” way.  Essentially, through my habits and mistakes, the Lord let me wander for a little bit.  It was tough to be in this desert of discipline, and though it was harsh, the latter fruit which developed from this episode was a desire for obedience.  The hardest lesson of discipline and one overlooked factor is that we need it.  How tough is that fact?  We need to learn to embrace discipline from God, for without it we are illegitimate sons and daughters, but with it we know that we have a Father.  Though we are put through “tough love” episodes from God, we have no other way of knowing that we have a heavenly Father than when He corrects us and puts us on the right path.

The Yoke:
I like to think of discipline as a yoke.  Remember when Christ said, “my burden is light and my yoke is easy.”  The thing we as Christians misunderstand as we take this yoke on our backs is that it is still a yoke!  Jesus calls to us and says, “Will you take this yoke with me?  Will you share some of this burden as we walk together?”  And we enter this yoke side by side (hopefully facing the same direction) with Christ.  If you have entered this yoke of discipline, you may have the scares to prove it.  We want to go one direction, but the Father will be there to coax us back in line through discipline so that we can stay off dangerous, and costly paths.  So, the confidence that results from this discipline is that we see this authority of the Father as a safety mechanism in our lives.  When we begin to backslide in our walk, we need to expect that our Father will discipline us…and we must receive it if we are to be sons and daughters.  One of the most beautiful offerings that a Christian can give to our Father is to come to a place where we receive discipline and become trained by it so that we can produce fruit in our lives.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 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 our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Heb 12:7-11


Suffering:
What can be said about suffering?  I am not one who has suffered like Paul, or Peter, or people in the Sudan, or Africa.  But, if we all look back in our lives, especially the times when you received Christ, I guarantee that there was an element of suffering involved.  If this has not happened yet, then we must be prepared.  I am not being morbid about this, but I can recall being persecuted when I accepted Christ and having some similar instances in the present.  And if need be, I would suffer like Paul for Christ….I’m not saying that would be my choice however!  Remember, we just look to Jesus who is our pattern for faith. 

How do we know that our faith is genuine, or that our obedience is true?  Unfortunately, in some cases, suffering gives us these answers.  Listen, there is not one place in the Word of God that promises we will not suffer as Christians…in fact, we may suffer more than those who are not saved. 

The first factor in suffering that we must get ingrained into our minds is that the Father eagerly allowed Christ to suffer so that He could be the perfector of our faith.  “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.” Heb 2:10

Secondly, though Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He learned obedience in the way of suffering. “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” Heb 5:8

Because Christ suffered and was tempted while He lived on earth, He is able to perfectly help us in our shallow humanity. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Heb 2:18

If we endure while we suffer for doing what is right, then God is well pleased.  The truth is that we are called to be ready and willing to suffer for the Kingdom…if need be.  Why are we called to suffer for the good news?  Because Christ suffered for us!  The below verse sums it up when it states, “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” 1Pet 2:20-21


In life there are circumstances which come along that may seem quite unfair.  One may develop cancer, or an unimaginable disease.  Some might lose a loved one, or something as simple as their keys.  If we suffer as believers for doing what is right, or we suffer by way of our fallen bodies; the Lord is there.  And as hard as it is to say, the way we handle our hardships and sufferings make or break our obedience and faith in God.  I realize this can be easier said than done for some, but I have seen the end results in those who suffer for Christ, or suffer from disease and yet they clearly understood that “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

It is not a matter of if God will take pressures, suffering and hardships away from our life, because He may not. But, if we put Him as the Lordship over our circumstances, endure our afflictions as our Great High Priest did, and allow our Father to be glorified by His sons and daughters, then I believe we shall see the true extent of what it means to be obedient to God.  If we look to Christ and how He suffered, we can also see how He was glorified by the Father.  At the deepest points of creation there is no greater sacrifice that a woman or man of God can perform than to and trust that our Father knows how to correct, discipline, and eventually relieve the suffering that may touch our lives.  I know that when suffering passes, there is no better touch than that of the Father.  Christ is our pattern, and in that pattern there was suffering and discipline, but more importantly, in that pattern there was life and triumph from our obedient Savior.  I know I have a Father not because of the absence of pressures in life, but through the loving discipline He shows me when I am off on a path I should not be.

“And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.” Heb 13:12,13