Hebrews 12:4-11 (The Message)
In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through-all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?
My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.
God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.
Related Text:
Deuteronomy 8:5
1 Samuel 2:12-36
Proverbs 3:11-12
Proverbs 15:5
Revelation 3:14-20
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DISCIPLINE
Another word we use today to describe “discipline” is “punish”. We associate the two words very commonly, probably because we were “disciplined” or “corrected” by being punished. (for me, it was punished with a spanking, lol)
Another word for “discipline”, which is used in today’s passage, is “correct”. God “corrects” or “disciplines” those He loves. Discipline means correction.
God’s discipline is meant to move you toward spiritual maturity, to correct you so you might be holy. Proverbs 10:17 provides this instruction, “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.”
God loves you so much that He wants you to gain understanding and learn to celebrate life to it’s fullest; the new life He has given you through the blood of Jesus. You can open yourself to God’s correction and His knowledge and teaching by diving into His Word, the Bible, and spending time seeking His desires for your new life. Listen to God’s Spirit and learn from Him; be obedient. You might learn from Him by learning from fellow followers of Jesus. Whatever happens, whatever you go through, don’t turn your back on God’s correction.
