Chastisement from The Lord
By Marsha Iddings
Psalm 118:17-18 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death.
God allows afflictions in my life as discipline. Hebrews 12:7-8,11 tells us, "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons....Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
The Psalmist says he will not die and that God has not given him over to death. Why? So that he will declare the works of the Lord. As long as God gives you and me breath we are to declare His works in our lives. He determines when my time is up. He also determines the chastisements that He will allow in my life to accomplish His perfect will in me. All of these physical problems and difficult circumstances are Father-filtered, especially measured out to accomplish the good in my life that He has purposed.
He never allows difficulties into my life without also offering me an equal measure of grace to endure and persevere. (2 Corinthians 12:9) But it's up to me to avail myself the grace He offers. How do I do that? I must make use of the means of grace. The means of grace are daily reading and study of God's Word, meeting regularly with other Christians for fellowship, spending time in prayer with God, hearing the Word of God taught faithfully and obedience to God's Word. Yes, it takes work on our part, but the benefits and blessings are worth it all.
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