A harvest of holiness
Today's reading Hebrews 12:4-11
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Today’s blog
“God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness... It produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:10-11)
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The word discipline, either as a noun or a verb occurs seven times in this reading. The idea of God disciplining us will be unwelcome if we think of it as punishment. But the primary idea, here and elsewhere, is of the training and instruction which children need as part of their upbringing and education (Eph.6:4; Acts 7:22; 22:3). The same word is also used in regard to Scripture which “is useful for... training in righteousness” (2 Tim.3:16).
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So just as any earthly parent would be remiss if they failed to provide the discipline that their children need, so too God, our heavenly Father, will surely train and instruct his children (7-8). In his loving hands, hardships and struggles become the means of that training. Those struggles are tough and unwelcome, which is why we might mistake them for his punishment. But he is teaching us the discipline to persevere until we learn to play the right notes, not giving us a rap on the knuckles for getting the notes wrong.
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That’s the point of the discipline – it is “for our good”. And the purpose of it goes far beyond the benefit of learning to play a musical instrument. It’s “in order that we may share in his holiness”. Through our trials and difficulties, God’s Spirit trains us to become more like Jesus (Gal.5:22-23; Jn.15:2), producing in us “a harvest of righteousness and peace” (Rom.14:17). Submitting willingly to the Father’s discipline is the way that God’s children grow to spiritual maturity (9).
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(To dig a bit deeper into Hebrews 12:4-11 click here for some commentary notes.)