Solomon admonishes (Prov. 3:11, 12): "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."
As we study the Scriptures, we find that various men of Biblical days, both before and after the time of King Solomon, endured the chastening of the Lord and were thereby made humbler, more consecrated workers in God's service. Jonah, for instance, suffered severe chastisement in learning the lesson of faithful obedience to God's will. When he was divinely commanded to journey to Nineveh and warn the inhabitants against the wickedness in which they were indulging, "Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord" (Jonah 1:3). Immediately he fell into trouble, from which he emerged only when in humble and grateful prayer he acknowledged the power and presence of God.
As in Biblical times, so today, God demands of His followers the willingness and effort to overcome the claims of sensualism and materialism. Should the student, because of neglect, apathy, self-depreciation, or love of ease in matter, disregard Truth's demand for spiritual progress, he may find himself passing through some chastening experience.
