Fwd: My Utmost For His Highest : "Chastening"

#1 · August 14, 2009, 12:04 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on August 14, 2009, 12:04 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Please heed what Oswald Chambers has to say today. The chastening of the Lord is a GOOD THING - it is a definite and positive indication that God loves you and is doing something in your life, but it may not, and probably will not, feel good at the time of the chastening.

When you were young and your parents corrected you, chances are that you did not like it. But unless you had very poor parents, chances are, when they chastened you, they did it to teach you (unless they were just incredibly selfish and were wrongly chastising you because of their own frustration).

Our parents are not perfect, but our God IS perfect. When he chastens us, it is both for our good and for His glory. For God's chosen people, those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, and accept His sacrifice of love as providing full payment for every sin that we ever commit, God's chastisement is intended to refine us and make us into what He wants us to be, preparing us for The Day when He will share His full glory with us.

Chastisement is not the same as judgment. Chastisement is correction, judgment is an evaluation of our deeds. Christians will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This judgment will not be punishment, it will be a weeding out of that which has been forgiven and a judgment of what we have done for Christ, and a time of reward. For those who refuse to accept what Christ has done for us, instead of the Judgment Seat of Christ, there will later be a Great White Throne judgment, which will pronounce all at that throne guilty because they refused to accept the sacrifice that Christ made at the Cross on the behalf of any and all who will accept it.

God does not FORCE us to accept his gift of love - and I can't either. What I can do is share about the wonderful benefits of knowing the Savior and the terrible, eternal consequences of failing to do so. The choice is, and has always been, yours and yours alone. Making the choice is what determines your eternal destiny, nothing else, no works, no lack of works.

For the Christian, the works are what determine their reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ. For others, works are meaningless, and will only compound the judgment. There are degrees of judgment, but still, missing that appointment at the judgment seat will have disastrous eternal consequences. Trusting in the Lord now and embracing even His chastisement will result in eternal rewards, beginning with being told, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest and enjoy your eternal home with me!"

I hope that helps you out. If you are not 100% certain that you have a home reserved for you in heaven, read what Romans 3, Romans 5, Romans 10, Ephesians 2:8-10, and other scriptures have to say about trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and if you have questions, I am ALWAYS willing to share specific verses of scripture and explain them to you.

May God bless you today as you read His Word, believe it entirely and use it to build your faith, strengthen your relationship with Him, and if necessary, make a decision to make Him the first priority in your life.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

634745bed9dfd.rfc822

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Please heed what Oswald Chambers has to say today. The chastening of the Lord is a GOOD THING - it is a definite and positive indication that God loves you and is doing something in your life, but it may not, and probably will not, feel good at the time of the chastening.

When you were young and your parents corrected you, chances are that you did not like it. But unless you had very poor parents, chances are, when they chastened you, they did it to teach you (unless they were just incredibly selfish and were wrongly chastising you because of their own frustration).

Our parents are not perfect, but our God IS perfect. When he chastens us, it is both for our good and for His glory. For God's chosen people, those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, and accept His sacrifice of love as providing full payment for every sin that we ever commit, God's chastisement is intended to refine us and make us into what He wants us to be, preparing us for The Day when He will share His full glory with us.

Chastisement is not the same as judgment. Chastisement is correction, judgment is an evaluation of our deeds. Christians will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This judgment will not be punishment, it will be a weeding out of that which has been forgiven and a judgment of what we have done for Christ, and a time of reward. For those who refuse to accept what Christ has done for us, instead of the Judgment Seat of Christ, there will later be a Great White Throne judgment, which will pronounce all at that throne guilty because they refused to accept the sacrifice that Christ made at the Cross on the behalf of any and all who will accept it.

God does not FORCE us to accept his gift of love - and I can't either. What I can do is share about the wonderful benefits of knowing the Savior and the terrible, eternal consequences of failing to do so. The choice is, and has always been, yours and yours alone. Making the choice is what determines your eternal destiny, nothing else, no works, no lack of works.

For the Christian, the works are what determine their reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ. For others, works are meaningless, and will only compound the judgment. There are degrees of judgment, but still, missing that appointment at the judgment seat will have disastrous eternal consequences. Trusting in the Lord now and embracing even His chastisement will result in eternal rewards, beginning with being told, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest and enjoy your eternal home with me!"

I hope that helps you out. If you are not 100% certain that you have a home reserved for you in heaven, read what Romans 3, Romans 5, Romans 10, Ephesians 2:8-10, and other scriptures have to say about trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and if you have questions, I am ALWAYS willing to share specific verses of scripture and explain them to you.

May God bless you today as you read His Word, believe it entirely and use it to build your faith, strengthen your relationship with Him, and if necessary, make a decision to make Him the first priority in your life.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

634745bed9dfd.rfc822