March 30 – LD 13, Day 5: Our Sonship
Proven by Chastisement
by Rev Allen Brummel
What a remarkable word of
God here in Hebrews 12 in connection with our sonship.
How do we know that we are sons of God? In part, that confirmation comes
in the way of trials and afflictions, in the way specifically of
chastisement. Our loving Heavenly Father corrects the son whom He loveth. He does not look the other way and allow us
to walk in all kinds of wicked behaviors. He makes it so that we are
caught. We don’t get away with our sins.
And, the result is
troubling for us. We have to suffer the consequences of our
sins. Our sorrow for sin is tested. Are we sorrowful because
we have offended our Heavenly Father, or is our sorrow due to the fact that we
got caught? Our sorrow must be a sorrow for the sins we committed in
offending our heavenly father. And, we must be thankful to our God who
loves us so much that He will not allow us to continue indefinitely down the
path of impenitence. So, rather than ask- why is God causing these
afflictions in my life? Is this because He hates me?
We realize with thankful
hearts- my Heavenly Father loves me as a child to such a degree that He is
willing to stop me from destroying myself, my family, and my life. He
causes my sin to be exposed so that I might humble myself before Him, repent,
and go forward, trusting more fully His strength.