The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and
majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Hebrews 5b-11,
"'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose
heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he
loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure 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. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and
we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father
of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while
as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may
share in his holiness. 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."
Like most, I suspect, when I encounter difficulties sometimes one of
my first thoughts is what did I do to upset God? Why is he so unhappy
with me that he brings this into my life? Another thought that I
usually arrive at is what should I expect in this life anyway? I am
part of a lost and fallen race (though redeemed) living in a world
that struggles along under God's curse. While these thoughts may have
merit at certain times, the passage I see this morning in Hebrews 12
is one that has an entirely different perspective and excites me a
great deal.
Although I may feel estranged from God and without His blessing when I
encounter difficulty, the writer of Hebrews reminds me here that I
need to recognize he takes me through times of difficulty
intentionally! He does it to stretch me, to grow me, to bring about
some maturity in my life. As the passage says, "it produces a harvest
of righteousness and peace…" It may not seem pleasant at the time,
even painful we are told. I am reminded of what our Lord told the
church in Laodicea, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline."
Revelation 3:19. God always works for the good of those who love him,
who are called according to his purpose.
Is there any message from the Lord that could be greater than "I love
you", when we are told that as an individual, as his child? No matter
how painful that message may come to us, all of us who are God's
children will be disciplined specifically because the Lord loves us!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
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