Thursday, August 18, 2022

Between Pinnacle & Pit

Thursday, August 18, 2022

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?  He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.  Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?  If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.  Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?  For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how.  But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.  So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.  Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.  Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.  Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.  Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.  Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.  You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected.  It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.  Hebrews 12: 5-17

The first sermon I ever preached was from this text.  After more than 45 years of reflection I still hold it as one of the most important passages in Scripture…for people like me…hardheaded, expecting fairness as I see it, and often blindsided by my pride, as to what is good for me, and what I want…which are often at opposite ends of God’s list of the care and feeding of Russell.

Discipline is as much an art as duty.  The word has many shades of meaning, but mostly points to training which leads to a better purpose.  Solomon wrote:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

This one word, discipline stands between the pinnacle and the pit.  To accept God’s chastening when we are wrong is to turn to the light at the pinnacle.  To kick against the goads of His training is to court the abyss of darkness and death.  That’s not a pretty picture, but it is that much risk which accompanies the God-given blessing/responsibility of free will

For You Today

We will look at this passage in depth over the next several days.  For now, let’s start with the reason behind God’s discipline – He loves you!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these:  After the Disaster and Strength to Go On      

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com     Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©   

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