Character cannot be developed wholly without trial. It is like a plant: at first it is very tender; it needs an abundance of the sunshine of God's love; frequent watering with the showers of His grace; much cultivating through the applied knowledge of His character as a good foundation for faith and inspiration to obedience; and then, when thus developed under these favorable conditions, it is ready for the pruning hand of discipline, and is also able to endure some hardness. And, little by little, as strength of character is developed, the tests applied to it serve only to develop more strength, beauty and grace, until it is finally fixed, developed, established, perfected—through suffering.
If from our natural fathers we are chastened for our profit, it should not be considered amiss if our Heavenly Father chastens us for our profit. To be without such chastisement is an evidence that we are not His sons; to receive such chastisement proves His Fatherhood and our sonship. Therefore they should not discourage us; but assured thereby that we are sons of God, let us likewise thereby be incited to betterment.
Heb. 12:4-14; Deut. 8:5; 2 Sam. 7:14; Job 5:17; Psa. 94:12; Prov. 13:13-24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13, 14, 24; 29:15, 17; Rev. 3:19.
