City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe

The Word

³ Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. ⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
    nor be weary when reproved by him.
⁶ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

⁷ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Hebrews 12:3-8 ESV

¹¹ My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
¹² For the Lord corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12 NLT

Reflection

The book of Hebrews was an urgent sermon to correct a congregation tempted to abandon Jesus amid pressure to return to the discarded covenant under the Law. Our author understands that this congregation could respond in two extreme ways — disdain or despair — and is now encouraging them to hold the tension in the middle.

Our author does this by first, telling them to consider Jesus and His struggle against sin in order to not grow weary, next by reminding them of who they are: children of God, in Christ. Without this biblical view of themselves, they would either scoff at or buckle under the weight of this correction. Our author draws them to God’s heart and reminds them of how God sees them.

God’s love birthed them as His children in Christ, and He would not abdicate His Fatherly responsibility to correct and discipline, because of that same love. Our author quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 to help them see that God disciplines His children because He delights in them.

Application

I don’t know about you, but I don’t tend to think of discipline and delight in proximity, however God clearly tells us that “[His] thoughts are not [our] thoughts, and neither are [our] ways [His] ways” ( Isaiah 55:8).

His goodness is so much more than we can imagine, His mercy is greater than we could think, and His grace is so vast that He wants us to spend all eternity reveling in it.

This God, if you are in Christ, is your Father. Receive His loving discipline with humility because He delights in you. If you aren’t yet in Christ, He is calling for you, and is inviting you to trust Jesus so He can make you His child.

Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, thank You, for making us Your children in Christ. Thank You for Your loving correction, because You are the good Father. Please help us to humbly receive Your discipline, and to walk in repentance. In Jesus’ name, amen.