Hebrews 12:11 – May 5, 2019

At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 NABRE     

This section of the letter to the Hebrews begins with, “for whom the Lord loves he disciplines” (12:6) Discipline is a means of training, of getting ready for a task. In the letter we see sports analogies. Training for an event requires discipline. Good training begets good performance, bad training begets bad performance. Today we might hear, “No pain, no gain.” The author is applying discipline to the life of a Christian and the life of a Christian is to follow the will of God. So we are to have discipline in order to be disciples. The discipline we receive may come in the form of a criticism from a non-Christian. We could be living a certain kind of suffering that requires we pray more and strengthen our faith. Even Jesus told his disciples. “If the world hates you, realize it hated me first.” (John 15:18) So we can expect difficulty, suffering and trials as followers of Jesus. The author tells us consider this as discipline, and though it seems painful at the time it occurs, it will bring peaceful righteousness for all who learn from it. Peaceful righteousness is serenity and harmony through living in right relationship with God.

God doesn’t punish or actively create bad things for us. But God does know that we will suffer, that bad things will happen in a world where selfishness and personal self-centeredness are the priority. God teaches when something bad, a trial, or a suffering happens, use it to sharpen your reactions as a disciple.

Do bad things that occur in your life rock you off your Christian journey? Are you able to exercise discipline to become a stronger disciple?

God teaches when something bad, a trial, or a suffering happens, use it to sharpen your reactions as a disciple. Click To Tweet

#bible #godisgreat #jesus#christianity #dailybibleverse@youversion #BeAnEncourager#discipline #suffer #Hebrews#everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist#jesussaves #godisgood#dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture#bibleverse #verseoftheday #pray#prayer #goodnews #loveeachother#godisgreat #thisVineyard#youversion #everythingalways

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *