“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Because delayed gratification is so essential to success, endurance is one of its vital building blocks. An impatient farmer who keeps unearthing the seeds he planted three days prior will never reap a harvest.
Being fixated on the present with the hedonistic mindset of always having “fun” will never yield any useful spiritual harvest.
God’s chastening is His wise and loving combination of sunshine and rain which challenges your spiritual roots to grow deeper and stronger so that afterward you are capable of a bountiful harvest of righteousness.
The pain of today’s chastening is essential to tomorrow’s fruit. “Therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:12-14).
