"It is their Father's Hand which Chastens Them"
by J. C. Ryle
God lays heavy trials upon His children for the most wise and merciful purposes. We live in such a fair and pleasant world, we are so surrounded with so much that is smiling and mirthful, that if we were not often obliged to taste of sickness and trial or disappointments, we would forget our heavenly home--and pitch our tents in this Sodom!
This is why God's people pass through great tribulations. This is why they are often called upon to suffer the sting of affliction and anxiety--or weep over the grave of those on whom our affections are set. It is their Father's hand which chastens them! It is thus He weans their affections from things below--and fixes them on Himself! It is thus He trains them for eternity, and cuts the threads one by one, which bind their wavering hearts to earth!
No doubt such chastening is grievous for the time--but still it brings many a hidden grace to light, and cuts down many a secret seed of evil. We shall see those who have suffered most, shining among the brightest stars in the assembly of heaven. The purest gold is that which has been longest in the refiner's furnace! The brightest diamond is often that which has required the most grinding and polishing!
"For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory!" (2 Corinthians 4:17)
0 comments:
Post a Comment