HEBREWS 12:3-13 – “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”
THEME OF THE DAY: IT IS NOT PUNISHMENT. There are so many things we may say about the Christian life. It is the purposeful life, the satisfying life, the contentment giving life, the challenging life, the rewarding life, the exciting life, the difficult life, the tried life, and many more descriptive words might be said. One more descriptive term produced from today’s scripture and nugget theme about the Christian life is such a life is the disciplined or chastised life.
When it comes to the “construction project” God began in all of His children (Philippians 1:6), it is not without pain or difficulties. Remember what the Lord Jesus said His Father and our Father would do to those of His children, the branches that bear fruit? He prunes them . . .
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2)
If these branches could talk, can you just hear them as the Divine Pruner does His painful work – “Ouch. That hurts. Please a little less pain. Ouch.” We are the branches and when God the Father is cutting away the things in our life like pride, envy, and self-sufficiency so we would bear more fruit, our complaining, even rebellion is the same language of those branches if they could talk.
No one likes being corrected. It smacks against our pride, but here is the lesson for today. In all of God’s work in us of pruning, correcting, and chastening, remember it is never done in punishment or the spirit of condemnation. It is the work of love from our Heavenly Father. Does it hurt? Absolutely and the devil will want us to believe it is punishment. Don’t believe Him. All the punishment that was due us was placed on Jesus once and for all time. Remember that when the pruning is very painful and the discipline is wearisome. It is from our Father and that always in love.
PRAYER: Father, help me to always remember Your correction in my life is not punishment but loving Fatherly care.
REFLECTION: Satan whispers condemnation and punishment. God whispers love and correction. Distinguish rightly.