Our Scripture reading today is Hebrews 12:5-7.
Verse 6, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
On the surface it would seem like quite the harsh response from our God. The word chasten means to inflict suffering upon for purposes of moral improvement. God brings suffering into our lives on purpose? Yes, He does and He does it because He loves us. Possibly you heard this from one of your parents right before receiving discipline, "This is going to hurt me; more than it hurts you." I am not sure any child believes this until they have a child of their own and need to chasten (discipline) them. By the way, there is a Biblical way for a parent to lovingly, discipline their children. Many of today's problems in society are as a result of adults living the way do, partly because there was no discipline in their childhood.
Our verse for today makes it clear that the motive for chastening is love. Without correction, we would continue to cause personal pain and harm. A parent that does not chasten (correct) his or her child for putting a fork into an outlet is not showing much love and concern. I realize that is an extreme illustration, but I hope you picked up on the point. God chastens His children out of love and that we might mature in our daily walk. This chastening is also an indicator of the assurance of salvation. God only chastens His children. As an adult, I have learned to be thankful for chastening.