Continuing with a series on God in His role as a Paradisiacal Pilot who loves us enough to correct us, albeit painfully, today we come to the concluding part of the series…
Purity…
He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. (See Malachi 3:3). He is Holy and He wants His children to be Holy too. Punishment that hurts chases away the evil from the heart, at once making us holy and acceptable unto Him (See Proverbs 20:30). Hey, holiness is our USP. If we lose it, we would become as useless as a salt that has lost its saltiness (see Matt 5:13). Jonah after his purifying experience of mid-sea chastisement was so cleansed that he went the whole cog… (See Jonah 1-3).
A question here… even as Christians maintain their pristine purity, would their lives be dull and devoid of any joy? No!!! Rather in our walk with Him, we would find our life to be very, very fulfilling, and we would discover with the passage of time how His ways truly satisfy us (See Romans 12:1-2). For the humble lot, when it comes to spiritual (ever joyous presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. See John 14:26) and earthly joys, the sky is the limit…
Perfection…
Was the purpose of Jesus’ First coming merely to search and save the lost? Was it not also put the Lost (after finding them) on the pathway of perfection (See 2 Cor 3:18)? Yes dear friends, the process of Sanctification in a Christian’s life begins soon after justification (See Romans 8:1) to lead us into a glorious perfection. Succintly put, Christ’s purpose of coming into this World was to save the Lost and restore in them the Divine perfect image Adam created in God’s image (See Genesis 1:26) had lost. So if this sanctification process entails painful chastisements now and then, we need to accept it, keeping eternity in view (See Colossians 3:1).
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (See Phil 3:20). This Pauline perception, if anything, ought to help us get our perspective right.
Praise…
In conclusion, dear Friends let me exhort you that our image of our Creator, Redeemer and Guide ought to go beyond that of a Pampering Papa to one of a concerned parent who is bothered enough to give a timely spanking in order our lives are always sparkling for our own good and His glory. (See Matt 5:14). It is time we give our Heavenly Father some thunderous praise…Hallelujah! More loudly please…
Prayer: Father, we praise thee for every single chastisement that has come our way, for in hindsight, they have all been a blessing to us. We praise thee once again in Jesus’ Name. Amen
Suresh Manoharan
(To access the entire “No Pain, No Gain!” mini-series, please click here!)