God’s Discipline Proves His Love
"After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." (Hebrews 12:4)
What is the life of faith?
Simply put, it's the stripping away of all the junk, especially all the sin that trips us up. Faith realizes that sin is death and the life of faith is running away from, or maybe better to say, running ahead of sin.
Where are we running towards?
Jesus.
He's running towards us and we're running towards him. He initiated the race and he perfects our faith. For our part we are keeping our eyes on Jesus. For his part Jesus took our shame onto himself because he knew that beyond the cross was a joy beyond all understanding. We talk about these things and reflect upon these things because the race requires endurance. Jesus disregarded the shame and his faithfulness gives us strength when we get weary and when sin catches up to us. Here we are running towards Jesus, but at that same time we're running away from sin.
Why is sin running after us?
Is that Satan's fault. Is that demon sin chasing us as we are fleeing toward Jesus because of its own accord?
No. It's running on the power of our own self-dependence.
That's right. Your sin is YOUR sin. Remember, they that live godly lives are going to go through stuff.
"After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." (Hebrews 12:4)
Q: What is the life of faith?
A: You're struggling against sin.
And while you're running after Jesus, in turn he's disciplining you.
Did you hear that? Jesus, meek and mild, the extravagant merciful lover of your heart, is disciplining you. And if he's not, it's probably because you're not chasing him very much at all.
"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." (Hebrews 12:8)
Somewhere in your walk is a bitter root holding you back, preventing you from getting up to speed in your race. Somewhere you traded your rebirthright. Somehow you ran off track. Maybe the awesome fearful word of God became too heavy a burden. Maybe you bought into the serpents lies about God's word, looking to lighten the load while you're running your race.
"Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking." (Hebrews 12:25)
God the Father chastens his children with his Word. And sometimes that word shakes up our world. Sometimes his word can really mess with our prevailing sense of self. But that's the point. He's refining us. He's shaking up all created things so that what remains is everything that cannot be shaken. He's a consuming fire, and he wants us to worship him in Spirit and in Truth. And so, we receive his word with joy, we cultivate that seed of his word into our hearts, and we worship him in awe and reverence with thanksgiving. We pick up the pace, turn off the noise of sin, and plug in his word as we endure the pain of his discipline.
"Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path." (Proverbs 4:26)
"Do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father loves his child he delights in." (Proverbs 3:11-12)