Submitting to Discipline #Write31Days

Discipline is both a verb and a noun.  Parents discipline their children.  Children learn good discipline.

Our Heavenly Father disciplines us, but it is up to us to submit to the discipline.

Submitting to discipline means that we learn a lesson from the discipline that God gives us.  We often try to circumvent this process.  This is why we often go around the same mountain over and over again.  This happens for several reasons

1. We run from discipline, completely failing to submit (Jonah 1)
2. We fail to submit to the entire process of discipline – like spoiled children we talk our way out of it for the moment.  (Israelites throughout the 40 years in the wilderness)
3. We try to do our own thing (Genesis 4)
4. We fail to realize that if discipline is not developed we have not truly learned from the teaching and correction.
5. We say that we “got it” only to realize later we didn’t (II Samuel 12:1-12)
6. We fail to stay away from the situation. (Judges 13-16)

However, when we realize that God wants the very best for us, it becomes easier to submit to His discipline.  We can then allow Him to work out in us to help us be more like Him.