"For Whom the Lord Loveth He Disciplines" # 17

The Discipline of Learning and Knowing Through Being Exercised and Trained By the Discipline of the Lord (continued)

Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, our weakness: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, "For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." But in these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, I have come through a process of persuasion to the settled conclusion, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things about to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Discipline of Tribulation:

Romans 5:3

"... but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation, pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance."

The Discipline of Endurance:

Romans 5:4; James 5:11

"And Endurance (fortitude) develops Experience maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity) ... You have heard of the endurance of Job ..."

The Discipline of Experience:

Romans 5:4

"And Experience produces Hope: [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation."

The Discipline of Hope:

Romans 5:5; Colossians 1:27

"Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. - To whom God was pleased to make known ... the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is, Christ within and among you the HOPE of [realizing] the glory."

Beloved, for the present we are closing our list of these very important disciplines of the Lord. We know that this list is not finished, for the discipline of the Lord will continue throughout all our lives as long as we live: and this is because He loves us, and he wants to share His Heart's desire and His burden with us.

Lord, our prayer is that each one of us will allow, will suffer, will bear the Word of Exhortation all the days of our lives. Oh, Lord, through your discipline You are making us weak within ourselves, so that we just have to have Your grace to live. The Grace of the Lord be with us all. Amen

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(The End)