Text:
Hebrews 12:5-11
Memory Verse:
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him’” (Hebrews 12:5).
When children are disciplined by their parents, it is done from a place of love and for instilling values in them; the same applies to believers. When God chastises us when we lose our way through
sin, it does not mean that He hates us, rather, He wants us to see the error of our ways and learn from the consequences. In Hebrews 12:6, Paul makes us understand that,“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” An example is the case of King David, a man God clearly loved, being disciplined for his misdeeds when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. He admitted his guilt, received his punishment in due course and was reconciled to God. Just like our earthly parents discipline us when we go against their wishes and
we still run into their arms for comfort, so should our relationship with God be. One of God’s ways of showing us love is by correcting us when we go astray. “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons (Hebrews 12:7&8). As long as we are sons of God we should be ready to be disciplined and shaped by Him, because by Him we are made acceptable to Him.
Prayer Points:
1. Father, please chastise me in love when I go astray.
2. Father, show me love by guiding me right.
