Jesus and Our Better Father

I saw a video recently with a father disciplining his son for the disrespectful way the boy spoke to his mother. But the caption on the video scolded the father for being harsh with his son, although the dad never struck the boy and his tone was completely appropriate for the moment. We live in a culture that tends to reject parental discipline for children. Sadly, this coincides with the complete loss of trust in authorities in our culture. Yet, good daddies lovingly train and discipline their children, because without instruction, training, and correction children will shipwreck their lives. People like the idea of God being a loving Father as long as that love does not involve discipline. But the author of Hebrews reminds us that God loves us, and as a Father, His discipline is good for us, for our joy, and will produce a fruitful life. By doing so he gives us a chance to change the paradigm we use to understand our struggles, suffering, and persecution. For believers in Jesus, whatever comes, we can know that our Father is shaping our lives through it for His glory and our good.