“Do Not Make Light Of The
Lord’s Discipline”
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely
forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses
his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he
rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he
chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as
discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not
disciplined by their father?
If you are not disciplined—and
everyone undergoes discipline —then you are not legitimate, not true sons and
daughters at all. 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 spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best;
but God disciplines us for our good, in order 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.
Hebrews 12:3-11
Our children may draw us, their parents, as funny
looking stick people. But, we do the same thing, with our Father. As God’s
children, we sometimes create images of our heavenly Father that aren’t
accurate. We may view God as unloving when He corrects our sinful behavior. And
because discipline is painful we might think it a form of revenge or anger. Not
so. His discipline is absolute proof of His love for us, as His children.
God is a concerned Father, lovingly correcting His
child in whom He delights.
God’s hand of discipline is
a hand of love.
Our Daily Bread –