Don't Ignore This

by: Don Williams
“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise…” Ephesians 5:15
There are a lot of things in life that are good to ignore. We need to ignore the glut of useless information that pummels us. We need to ignore the foul moods of people that would bring us down. We need to ignore advice that comes cheaply. We need to ignore the advertisements that seek to seduce us and manipulate us, creating false needs and wants. So it goes. But we need also not to ignore the lies of the enemy. We need to confront them with God’s truth. We need to confront those who gossip about us, attack us, and run our name through the mud. We need to confront those who despise our faith. Silence, in these cases, means approval. While we need to chose our battles and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us in them, we need to stand up for the truth, for righteousness, even when it is unpopular in our “live and let live” culture.

The question of what to ignore and what to welcome and even confront, sets us up for today’s verse from the Book of Proverbs. Paul exhorts us to live as wise people and one major source of this wisdom lies here.
“He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.” Proverbs 13:18
Discipline is hard for us to accept. This is especially true when it is fear driven. When we are afraid of punishment or rejection, we may follow the discipline, but our hearts fight it. As Paul says in Romans 7 when the discipline of the Law comes, we rebel. It exposes not only our sin, but also our sinful nature. The very command evokes in us the desire to revolt. I remember years ago hearing Hal Lindsay teach at the “Light and Power House” near the campus of UCLA. This was back in the days of the Jesus Movement, before Hal became famous for his book, The Late Great Planet Earth. He was discussing Romans 7 where Paul says that the Law shows how sinful sin really is. He asked us to imagine a house with a big plate glass window. A sign stood in front of it, “Do not Throw Rocks at this Window.” Then Hal asked, how long do you think that the window would go unbroken? The answer, of course, was, “Not long.” If we were walking by, we might never think of breaking the window, until the law against throwing rocks is posted. Then, suddenly, the idea and the temptation to follow are overwhelming and the window is quickly broken. In other words, this kind of discipline this law reveals our rebellion, our sinful nature and we are ready to act out.
But discipline from people who love us, who we respect and who have our best in mind is another matter. Thus the Book of Hebrews exhorts us not to reject the Lord’s discipline in our lives. (Chapter 12) It may be painful for a season, but it is a sign of belonging, because it is the loving father who disciplines his children for their own good. So rather than rebelling against discipline or rejecting it, we need to welcome God’s discipline as a sign of his love. Also, since he is infinitely wise, his discipline is really good for us. It may be painful for a moment, but again, it is a sign of his love and our belonging. The fruit that it bears in our lives is good.
If we fail in welcoming true discipline, our proverb warns, poverty and shame will be the results. The road to staying free in Jesus includes accepting his discipline in our lives. We need the disciplines of prayer, Bible reading, and building honest and transparent community with others. We need the disciplines, as they say in A.A., of working “our program.” Here the 12 Steps can be helpful. They include the disciplines of keeping short accounts, confessing our sins to each other, and making amends to those we have hurt – all of this keeps us humble. We admit that the lack of discipline in our lives has produced bitter fruit – “poverty and shame.” We have spent money foolishly, borrowed with no intention or ability to pay it back. In our shame we have avoided people we have used, cut them off and moved on. But in gaining our sobriety and heeding correction, honor comes. Many times I have attended Recovery meetings where friends have received cakes for a year or even many years of sobriety. It is a celebration; the correction they accepted, the discipline they embraced, brought honor and health. The greatest honor is the “Yes” of the Lord himself, who affirms us and is pleased with us. We have accepted his free grace and embraced those disciplines that have brought structure, accountability and maturity to our lives. Receive the grace and go for the discipline. Humble yourself. The fruit is good and lasting. The honor will come.
Prayer of the day “Lord, help me to welcome your discipline as a sign of your love and my belonging to you. Forgive me for the times I have ignored this. Help me to heed your correction and keep my eyes on the good fruit to come. In your name. Amen.”