SEPTEMBER 12
WHOM HE LOVES, HE DISCIPLINES
Hebrews 12:4-6
4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; 6 For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.” (WEB)
The discipline of the Lord is often ignored in many Christian circles. When it is addressed, it is often presented in a way that depicts God as angry and judgmental. Since my calling is to share about His love, I usually don’t focus on this topic either.
I'm always worried that people will misunderstand God's discipline as punishment, when that's not the case at all. The word 'discipline' comes from the same root as 'disciple,' which means to train. There's a well-known Bible verse in Proverbs 22:6 that talks about this kind of training... Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (WEB)
I'm not saying that God's discipline is free of pain. Often, the only way we learn as humans is by going through tough experiences. While there are easier and less painful ways to learn, sometimes touching a hot stove is the only way we'll truly understand its heat.
My prayer today is that we all submit to the Lord's discipline when we need it. I pray that we do not take it lightly or give up when our Father corrects us. May we realize that we are not being punished, but being trained so that we can produce a harvest of righteousness.
May we understand that when our Heavenly Father prunes us, it is so that we can become even more fruitful in our lives. (John 15:1-2) And as my friend Jack Winter used to say... "the Gardener is never closer to the branch than when He is pruning it." May we feel the closeness of our Father even in times of His loving discipline.
Hebrews 12:8-9
But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? (WEB)
4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; 6 For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.” (WEB)
The discipline of the Lord is often ignored in many Christian circles. When it is addressed, it is often presented in a way that depicts God as angry and judgmental. Since my calling is to share about His love, I usually don’t focus on this topic either.
I'm always worried that people will misunderstand God's discipline as punishment, when that's not the case at all. The word 'discipline' comes from the same root as 'disciple,' which means to train. There's a well-known Bible verse in Proverbs 22:6 that talks about this kind of training... Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (WEB)
I'm not saying that God's discipline is free of pain. Often, the only way we learn as humans is by going through tough experiences. While there are easier and less painful ways to learn, sometimes touching a hot stove is the only way we'll truly understand its heat.
My prayer today is that we all submit to the Lord's discipline when we need it. I pray that we do not take it lightly or give up when our Father corrects us. May we realize that we are not being punished, but being trained so that we can produce a harvest of righteousness.
May we understand that when our Heavenly Father prunes us, it is so that we can become even more fruitful in our lives. (John 15:1-2) And as my friend Jack Winter used to say... "the Gardener is never closer to the branch than when He is pruning it." May we feel the closeness of our Father even in times of His loving discipline.
Hebrews 12:8-9
But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live? (WEB)