"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11
After running nearly 30 miles on Saturday at the Ultra Sweaty Santa race, the last thing I wanted to do on Sunday morning was to get up before sunrise and get in some miles before church. But knowing that running on tired legs was optimum training for the 100 mile race I had coming up, I got out of bed, sat down for Bible study and then hit the road. Was it pleasant? Not really. But as I finished up and headed inside to get ready for worship, I smiled knowing that developing the discipline to press on in spite of pain and discomfort would soon pay off in huge ways.
And while "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful," it pays off in huge ways in our spiritual lives as well. You see, when you and I do things contrary to God's word, our Father will discipline or correct us to keep us on the right path. And "later on," when you and I have been "trained" over and over by God's instruction, we will reap a "harvest of righteousness and peace." In other words, it's never pleasant to be disciplined by the Lord, but it is necessary if we are to be molded into the image of Jesus.
So welcome God’s instruction my friend. Embrace his discipline no matter how unpleasant it may be, knowing that it is necessary to make us more like Christ. And in the end, that's all that matters.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that your discipline is a sign of your great love for us. Help us to understand that just as a loving father corrects his children when they are wrong, You do even more so. May that thought bring us comfort today. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Better for it - Riley Clemmons
No comments:
Post a Comment