SCRIPTURE: Is. 22-24; Heb. 12
Hebrews 12:1-11
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
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.
OBSERVATIONS: God uses our trials and tribulations to make us better. Some of our trials would be better faced if we chose them day-to-day instead of when the going gets tough.
APPLICATION: Joey, your spirituality can’t get flabby. Letting yourself take some time off always turns into more time than you want–or can afford. Stay close on your walk with Christ. Listen carefully to the Scriptures. Don’t take shortcuts to get from God’s lips to your ears.
PRAYER: God, I want to hear your voice. I know that I put things between us, and I can’t say how sorry I am. I even let this journal get between us when I make “being faithful in these small things” become more important than just sitting in your presence and carefully listening. Thank you for patiently waiting until I have given you my attention. I’m also grateful for those times when you haven’t been so patient. In those moments, your voice was clearest. I pray that your voice will be as clear in my day-to-day discipleship as it was in those moments when I needed you most. Through Christ, Amen.
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