Day125 Relief or Righteousness.

The Lord chastises the disobedient and disciplines sons. We can make life more difficult for ourselves or submit to the training in righteousness. We either submit to our foolish ways or to the Fatherhood of God. If shall we say "meet the devil half way" and like a "dog returning to its vomit" repeat our foolishness, we will be treated as such and we reap what we sow - unnecessary hardship and distress. Deuteronomy 28 the Blessings and Curses makes for good reading. God does fulfill his promises.

Submit to our foolish ways and reap what we sow.
Judges 2 & 3 ¹⁰ "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel". ....
¹⁴ In his anger against Israel the LORD gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist....They were in great distress..... ¹⁸ Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways...... I will use them (their enemies) to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their ancestors did." The LORD had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

Submit to the Fatherhood of God and treated as sons.
James 1:2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Heb 12 ⁷-11Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.....No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

The difference between the two pictures is threefold,

• Cause of the trials: Self,being part of sinful and selfish world, powers and principalities behind the scenes of every relationship (world flesh and the devil)
• Response to the trials: Repentance (short term) v's Perseverance (trained for eternity)
• Result of the trials: Relief from the distress vs Righteousness

God is not interested in hassle-free-holiness!
Whatever the day holds for us, may we submit to the Father's hand that leads us in the path of holiness.