DEVOTION – DAY 621

Hebrews 12:11 “God’s Discipline”

Hebrews 12:11 “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.”

There is great truth in this verse. You have seen it in films like Star Wars series, Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda, and countless other martial arts films. It usually shows that an understudy of a master martial artist, needs to undergo years of discipline, practice and hard work before he or she can master all the skills of the master. 

In the same way, Hebrews 12 reminds us that we are all works in progress. There are parts of our profile that is not Christ-like. We may be impatient, unloving, uncaring, selfish, and sometimes fall into sinful behaviors. This is not God’s Will for us. God will discipline us in order to chip away all these rough edges in us to make us more like His Son. If we are impatient, expect to encounter many situations that will test our patience so that we can learn patience. Such discipline is not pleasant but necessary. Patience cannot be developed by reading a book, or going for a training program. Patience is developed when our patience is tested through difficult situations. The result of all this godly discipline is to lead us to a harvest of righteousness and peace. That is when we become more mature Christians with more Christ-likeness and are channels of God’s blessings to the people we interact with.

I know someone whose life was upturned one day when her husband suffered a stroke. She and her husband had lived independent lives. Suddenly, she had to set aside what she wanted to do, to care for him and to help in his rehabilitation. It took months before he regained some degree of independence on his own. Looking back, she realized it was God’s way to bring them closer together, to strengthen her perseverance and to teach her patience. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the trials and circumstances that come upon us that help us to be tested and shaped to be more and more like your Son. Please help us to face these challenges willingly and with grace. We humbly ask in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

• Why do people hate trials, challenges and problems? What is your natural reaction to difficulties when you encounter them?

• How does this devotion help you to look at your trials, challenges and problems?

• What have you learnt from your own past experience facing challenges and problems. What are some things you learnt out of that experience?