"But he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness." Just as our earthly parents disciplined us and we respected them for it, so God disciplines us and we should respect Him as well. God's discipline proves that He considers believers to be his children. As our Heavenly Father it is both appropriate and necessary for God to discipline us. While parental discipline is sometimes arbitrary, God always disciplines His children for their own good. The focus of God's discipline is a call for perseverance or endurance in the painful tests of life. These tests are to our benefit, prove our sonship, require a response of perseverance, and produce God's holiness in our lives. Submit to the discipline of the Lord and you will become a better child of God for it.
