Title: The Miracle of God's Faithful Discipline
Meta: Paul talks about the greatest miracle in his life, it not being some supernatural thing, but it rather being the love of the Father to discipline him.
Tags: discipline,hebrews,12,miracle,Jesus,Christ,Christian

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Apart from the greatest miracle which is salvation,

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what are some of the mighty works that God has done in your life?

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I know everybody is wanting me to tell about some miracle

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in South America or in the jungles,

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but the greatest work of God after regeneration,

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(all that dealing with salvation, opening us up to a view of the cross,)

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is His faithful providence in discipline.

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To me, God's faithfulness, His love toward me, is manifested in His teaching,

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His training,

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this love that will not let you go,

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and this fatherly, brotherly discipline.

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Many of the times, we all go through seasons of, it seems, great fruitfulness.

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And it seems that every time I have gone through a season of great fruitfulness,

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at the same time, I've gone through a season of great trial,

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great testing, and oftentimes great pain.

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And I think that the Lord knows me;

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I think that He knows me better than I know me.

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And I think that He knows that when I seem to bear great fruit,

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I am in danger of great pride.

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And He knows how to wound me.

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He knows how to set a large stone on my head.

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He knows when it is necessary to even allow the enemy to run their chariot over your back

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so that you are not lifted up.

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Another way in which I see the great miracle is in my marriage.

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You see, someone think you are a godly man because you preach a certain way.

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Show me your marriage.

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And I think that the last 16 years,

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I am learning a little bit more how to lay down my life;

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just a little bit more, how to lay down my life for my bride.

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And then when my children came along,

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because I got a very late start in all this,

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when my children came along, the dying to self.

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You know, God's miraculous power is seen in giving us children

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so that we can see ourselves in our relationship with Him through those children, its amazing.

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The greatest, one of the greatest joys that I have though is:

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Years and years ago, I was 22 years old,

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and I was greatly disturbed, bothered about some things.

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And I'll never forget, I was praying, and it was about 1:45 in the morning;

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and I was praying, crying out to God.

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And I was in Austin, Texas.

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And two, a brother and sister from Houston called me on the phone.

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They just said they were praying too

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and that God had laid something on their heart.

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And they quoted this text to me out of the Psalms,

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"With a long life I will grant him, and he shall behold my salvation."

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I am 48 years old.

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If I were to die before this interview is over, that has been fulfilled.

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To behold His salvation.

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To see church people who have been church people for 30 years converted.

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Or a Christian who's lived most of their life thinking,

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"I don't understand how Jesus getting beaten up by the Romans paid for my sins."

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For them to come to me after a sermon, weeping, saying, "I understand.

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It was Him bearing sin.

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Him dying under the wrath of God. It was God's justice."

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To see people converted all over the world

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has been something far beyond anything I could have ever, ever dreamed of.