HRC New Testament Reading Plan: daily NT reading devotional thoughts.
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
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.
Hebrews 12:7,11 NIV
Are you learning from the Lord’s discipline?
In Hebrews 12, the author continues his thoughts about living by faith and begins moving toward some practicals.
First, he first encourages us to endure hardship as discipline. We don’t like hardship and may not like discipline but God uses them for our good, to produce a “harvest of righteousness and peace” (v. 11).
As God’s children, we’ll face hardship and discipline, but we need to have the right perspective. Like Job, we may be undergoing our trials because God has trust in our faith. Or like the faithful in Hebrews 11, we may be facing hardship to grow in our faith. God always uses our challenges if we fix our eyes on Jesus and trust in Him.
Questions:
- In what ways does this passage say God’s discipline is like that of a father disciplining his children?
- What encouragements does the author provide in verses 12 and following to the end of the chapter?
- What challenges are you facing right now? What is God teaching you? Take time to pray about growing in your faith as you endure God’s discipline.