⁷ Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:7 CSB)

My father was a pretty strict disciplinarian, and I was with my son and my daughter.

Throughout my life I have tried to be disciplined in my approach to work and living as well.

In both cases these forms of discipline, I believe, created strong work and life ethics. These were first manifest in my grandfather, then my father, then me and now my children.

However, in every case there had to be an accepting (albeit reluctant) acceptance of various forms of discipline.

Our Heavenly Father is no different. He desires a disciplined faith life from us and He will discipline us when we begin to stray into willful sin. This is what a loving father does.

With my children, I always asked, “do you fear me or are you afraid of me?” Health fear is, well, healthy. But being afraid is not healthy. We seek the former not the latter as we do with God. There needs to be a healthy fear of God’s discipline. Otherwise we are too broken and fallen as humans to keep on our path of a faithful life.