Stay the Course, Hebrews 12:12-17

 

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12 Strengthen

13 Straighten

14-17 Sacred Strategy

Hebrews 12:12-17
 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Therefore, means, I said all that to say this.

Said all what?

Previously in Hebrews 12, from verses 5-11, we repeatedly read the word, “chasten” (seven times).

God chastens His children.  

In verse 11 we read:

¹¹ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Chasten (Παιδεία, Paideia), means, discipline, instruction, training, education.

 

 Trained (Γυμνάζω, gumnazó), means intense disciplined workout, obtaining full agility, skill, endurance, gained only from constant, rigorous training.

In other words: chastening on steroids.

Why?

To prepare for our Divine Eternal Purpose and calling. Which is, to receive and possess His kingdom, being join heirs with Christ, glorified with Him, judging the world and even the angels, reigning with Him as kings and priest, the overcoming redeemed saints of God, singing a new song. (Daniel 7:18, 27, Romans 8:17, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 1:6, 2:26, 3:21, 5:9-10, 20:4, 20:6, 22:5).

 

12 Strengthen

Therefore, since God has big plans for us, strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees. 

This is a quote from a beautiful Old Testament chapter depicting the Millennial Reign:

Isaiah 35:3
Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.

I just turned 65, so now I’m officially a senior citizen, and a brand-new member of Silver Sneakers. Now, insurance pays my gym membership. How awesome is that?  

So, now I can strengthen my hands and knees... 😉.

Actually, our text is not talking about physical strength, but spiritual.

Not physical hands and knees, but deeds.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

A Psalm of Life, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Galatians 6:9

Weary not in well doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.

We must be up and doing our Father’s work. Strengthening and preparing for His kingdom. Not storing where moth and rust corrupt (Matt. 6:19), but for our real Home, in Heaven. 

Look at your hands (representing your deeds).

They are tools, given by God.

What have you done with them?

Use them for His honor?

Build His Kingdom?

Fold them strong and often, in prayer?

Therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

Strong knees depict courage and ability to stand strong and move forward.

Whereas feeble knees symbolize faltering courage, weakness.

Knees bow in prayer. Weak knees reflect weakness in prayer.

Strengthen the feeble knees by bending them strong and often in prayer. (Even if you’re unable to bend physical knees, you can bend the knees of your heart).

The directive is clear.

Be strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might. Eph. 6:10.

How?

Ephesians 6:16, tells us regarding the armor of God, “above all take the shield of faith.”

Romans 10:17, tells us faith comes by hearing, the Word of Christ.

And Ephesian 6:17, shows us the only weapon in the armor of God is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Which is exactly what Jesus used when He was hungry and weary, and tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1-10.

Neh. 8:10 says, the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Psalm 16:11 says, in His Presence is fullness of joy.

Psalm 22:3 says He inhabits the praises of His people

Matthew 18:20 says wherever two or three are gathered in His name, He’s right there in the midst of them.

Add it all together and His Word is crystal clear, to graduate strong from God’s Academy of Chastening, to be prepared for our Divine Eternal Purpose and calling of ruling and reigning with Christ, we need to be actively, faithfully, gathering in His Presence, Bible reading and Prayer.

Be faithful in those foundational principles and watch God show up actively, faithfully, powerfully, in every area of your life.

Therefore strengthen and...

 

13 Straighten

13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Walk in such a way, leaving a trail, so those who follow in your footsteps won’t stumble, and fall, but rather grow stronger as you walk the straight and narrow in the footsteps of Christ.

Whether you like it or not, you’re leaving a trail, are you leaving Breadcrumbs to nourish those who follow? (Breadcrumbs of the Bread of Life).

Where does your trail lead them?

Proverbs 4:26. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.

Habakkuk 2:2. Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.

14-17 Sacred Strategy

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The sacred strategy: pursue peace with holiness, with all.

Peace and holiness are connected. There can be no True Peace without holiness.

Peace is not appeasement.

True Peace is not living peaceably with all at the expense of holiness. We must cultivate peace in holiness.

That means having difficult discussions.

Making unpopular decisions.

Not compromising conviction just to get along.

Doing it all, in love.

If we abandon holiness, for peace, we’ve abandoned God for people.

In this Sacred Peace Pursuing Strategy, we’re given three things to watch out for.

·       Fall short

·       Spring up

·       Sold out

They progressively get worse.

Fall short:

15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;

The grace of God is unmerited favor, available to anyone, anywhere. There’s no place God’s grace can’t reach.

So, if a person falls short, they are the ones holding back, not God.

Okay, I believe Jesus saves some people, but just not me.

Alright, I can be saved, if I do...

They’re facing Jesus, but stopped, because of unbelief.

He just won’t do it for me.

He needs my help.

False humility? Pride? Religion?

When my kids were young, on the rare occasion they got in trouble. We’d take our walk to the woodshed (bedroom). After we had a little talk, and they knew it was time for “chastening” on their bottom. Sometimes, I’d look them in the eye and say, “Today, you’ve met the grace of God.”

I’d take the spankin’ to show God’s grace and what Jesus did for them.  

If you know someone falling short of the grace of God, they may just need to see Jesus with skin on. You show them the Love of Christ. You show them His unmerited favor. You show them His amazing grace.

Hopefully, prayerfully, they’ll see the Light, get out of their own way, and let Jesus be Lord of their life.

If they don’t, a root of bitterness may spring up.

Spring up:

lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Bitter root produces bitter fruit.

One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.

Harbored hurt and unforgiveness, metastasize into bitterness that can infect everyone around it.

If you or someone you know is bitter, this needs to be addressed lovingly with prayer, and counsel and grace, and forgiveness.

They can be healed.

If not, it may fester and grow into a car ramming, Charlie Kirk assassinating, monster.

Then, finally, there’s something else to look for that’s not so obvious, but just as deadly:  

Sold out:

16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Esau’s dad, Isaac, was the son promised by God to Abraham and Sarah.

Through his Seed all nations of the earth would be blessed.

Esau was firstborn into an exceedingly wealthy household. (Gen. 26:13).

He was in the position of the golden child. The blessing. The birthright. Everything.

But he chose instant gratification of the flesh over the gradual eternal blessing of God.  

Esau was rejected.

Jacob was chosen.

The worst part is that he found no place of repentance.

He knew better but sold his soul for a bowl of stew.

I know all that Jesus stuff, but I’m hungry for some food, some fun, some... maybe later, Jesus.

But then, something happens. Life goes sideways. You know you blew it. You even cry and beg for mercy, for forgiveness.

But God knows, and way down deep inside you know it too. You’re not really sorry for your sin. You’re just sorry about the circumstances.

You love the sin.

Even if you want to repent your heart has gotten too hard. You’ve passed the point of no return.

Esau was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Dear Saints, as much as it depends on us, our Sacred Strategy must be to never allow anyone we know to get this far gone.  

We must be alert, sensitive in the Spirit, because they are easy to miss. They are the hard ones because life for them is good. They are happy, got it all together. They look blessed. They even know Christianeeze.

But, before long, they’re numb. Too far gone to find a place of repentance.  

Stay the course dear Saint, strong and straight and steady.

Jesus puts it like this:

Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, please strengthen and straighten us, give us a heart for any fate, to lift those fallen, sweeten the embittered, and snatch from the jaws of hell, those about to pass the point of no return. Help us Lord to stay the course, leaving a trail leading many straight to You.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.

 

The Inkhorn and the Battle-axe, Ezekiel 9

A message of mercy in the midst of wrath, protection in the eye of destruction.

A message only God could write.

Amos 3:7.
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He reveals the end from the beginning.

He repeatedly pours out His warning, before pouring out His wrath.

He echoed often through Ezekiel the coming judgement.

Let’s go back 2,600+ years.

September 17, 592 BC.

13 years after Daniel was taken captive to Babylon.

4 years after Ezekiel was taken.

About 13 months after Ezekiel’s first vision.

In Ezekiel 8, the Lord showed up in a vision to Ezekiel.

He came in a blaze of glory, as Holy Fire, and He carried Ezekiel (by the hair of his head), in vision to Jerusalem, to the north gate of the temple court, where the wicked image of jealousy sat. An idol, that not only broke the first two of the ten commandments, but broke God’s heart. (No gods. No idols. Ex. 20:1-17 and Dt. 5:6-21).

And that was just the beginning. From there the Lord showed him inside the temple walls crawled with every unclean creeping thing, exposing how the elders had gone from worshiping their Creator in the light to worshiping demonic abominations in the dark.

Then, the Lord showed Ezekiel women at the north gate of the Lord’s house, weeping for a false god called Tammuz, a demonic ritual involving immoral lascivious prostituting behavior.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, the Lord told Ezekiel, “turn and you will see even greater abominations than these.”

He brought him to the inner court of the Lord’s house and there at the door of the temple of the LORD , between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun.

Then, the Lord declared His Righteous Resolution:

“Have you seen this? Is it a trivial thing for Judah to commit these abominations? They’ve filled the land with violence. They’ve provoked me to jealousy, and anger. THEREFORE, I will pour out my fury. I will not spare or show pity, even if they cry out with a loud voice, I will not listen. 

Then, the vision flows seamlessly into Ezekiel chapter 9...

If you were to make an outline it might look something like this:

Outline Ezekiel 9

1-2 Call to Arms

3-4 Seal of Protection

5-7 Judgement Falls

8-10 Divine Justice

11 It is Finished

Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice...

Not a still, small, voice but a loud voice, a battle cry, a call to arms, revealing the intensity, the fervency, of the moment.

A moment that could not be ignored.

The Lord’s mercy endures forever, but His patience has an end.

In the moment patience ends, wrath begins.

Today if you hear His voice (it may just be a still, small, whisper) harden not your heart, or one day, you may find yourself outside His patience, and your heart too hard to hear.

In the fullness of time, when the cup of iniquity is full, the ever knocking, ever calling, still, small, voice is replaced with a shout, with the trump, a loud voice...

saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” 

Remember, this is a vision.

The Lord has been speaking to and through Ezekiel repeatedly about the coming judgement. Now the Lord allows him to see in the spiritual realm, the angelic warriors called to arms.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

² And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

The north gate where the image of jealousy stood.

The gate we open to sin, is where the destroyer enters in.

At first, we were told they carried “deadly weapons” now again the picture is made clearer, they are holding battle-axes. We can know for sure and certain, this is no Sunday School Ice Cream Social.

There were six men. Interestingly, history tells us that Babylon’s army was composed of six nations. Jeremiah 39:3 lists six of his commanders.

Notice the one clothed in linen, with an inkhorn at his side. Most scholars agree this Man represents Christ. More on that in a moment.

They met at the altar. The place of sacrifice. Where blood was shed to purge, to cleanse, to atone for sin.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple.

Note, God’s departures are gradual, and gracious.

He didn’t just disappear in an instant.

He went at first no further than the threshold, revealing He didn’t really want to go, allowing time and encouragement to repent and invite Him to stay.

To say, like David, “Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:11. 

To not be like Sampson who did not know the Lord had departed from him. Judges 16:20.

God’s departure leaves the house desolate.

When God goes, all that’s good goes with Him. “Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights...” James 1:17.

But He never leaves, unless those He’s leaving, first drive Him away.

And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; 4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

The Man with the writer’s inkhorn, clothed in linen like a priest, knows the thoughts and intents of hearts.

The Lord knows those who are His. 2 Timothy 2:19.

This is where we see mercy in the midst of wrath, protection in the eye of destruction.

He places His seal upon those who are His. 

His seal provides:

1. Divine Direction

2. Divine Protection

3. Divine Peace

Divine direction for the destroyers and Divine protection for the sealed. Like the blood of the Passover Lamb. Like Rahab’s scarlet rope. Like the, 144,000 during the tribulation.

Divine Peace, knowing that no matter what comes, why worry or fear when our eternal destiny is secure and near?

In our real Life, there’s no lack, no sorrow, sickness, sin, death, tears, just Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit, available now, a foretaste of eternal glory Divine. Hallelujah!

⁵ To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. ⁶ Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. ⁷ Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

All the guilty were slain. Age, race, gender, had no impact on the outcome.

Life or death determined by One Way.

The Seal of God.

Who received the seal?

Those who sigh and cry over all the abominations.

I don’t drink, smoke, chew, or go with those who do, ain’t good enough.

It is not enough that we don’t delight in sin.

We must sigh for sinners.

We must grieve for the abominations in our nation, our community, our family, our mirror.

We must hate sin and simultaneously have a tender loving concern for the lost.

This we must do with an urgency knowing that once the wheat is gathered into the barn, nothing remains but to burn the chaff.

This was literally fulfilled by Babylon’s third siege of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Multitudes died by the sword and by famine, starvation, as the city lay in siege for over a year.

However, the Lord protects His remnant.

Favor of God.

Jeremiah 39:11-12. Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.”

Jeremiah was granted favor.

Proverbs 3:3-4. Let not mercy and Truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.

Favor is a wonderful thing.

Jesus promises in Matthew 6:33. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

GIVE GOD YOUR FIRST AND BEST... HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST.

No one, ever, ever, ever, regretted seeking God first.

Begin at My Sanctuary.

Notice the Lord commanded them, “begin at My sanctuary.”

1 Peter 4:17. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

As His favor rests on those who seek Him and love Him first, His judgement falls first on those who know they should and refuse to do so.  

Amos 3:2. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

To whom much is given much is required. Luke 12:48.

The Lord chastens those He loves. Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:6.

Defile the altar.

Do not take them from the altar but slay them right there.

God did not protect the sacredness of His temple because His own people had already defiled it.

So, really, their bloodshed was purification not pollution, of the sanctuary; it was a putting away of evil. Divine Justice.

Judgement must begin at the house of God but does not end there.

⁸ So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”

Put yourself in Zeke’s sandals.

What if this was your hometown?

This was his hometown.

The temple was where his family worked. These folks were his family, friends, coworkers... 

Slaughtered.

What would you do?

Tough Truth:

Hebrews 10:30-31. For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD.

Lord, please give US, a Godly, reverential fear of You.

Proverbs 9:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

⁹ Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ ¹⁰ And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

Ezekiel cried out for mercy.

God denied his request.

For them, it was too late. They passed the point of no return.

God is just. Therefore, Divine Justice must be served.

TO NOT CONFRONT EVIL, IS TO BE COMPLICIT WITH EVIL.

This brings us full circle...

Amos 3:7. Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Judgement is coming. 

God IS pouring out His warning before pouring out His wrath.

Just as He has prompted us, in the past weeks and months, to pray for,

WE ARE SEEING A SNEAK PEAK OF JUDGEMENT COMING.

Just ask Gaza which sits in ruins.

Just ask Iran’s nuclear sight.

Just ask Christian killing ISIS terrorists in Nigeria

Just ask National Guard killing Islamic terrorists in Syria

Just ask 36 drug smuggling boats

Just ask ex-Venezuela president, Maduro and wife

Let’s pray we see judgement and justice, in our own corrupt government before we pass the point of no return. We pray for a great awakening and reckoning, to sweep our nation, our world, as a preview of what’s coming.

PRAY BIG WIN SMALL

BE FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE

LEAVE THE RESULTS TO GOD

¹¹ Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”

The Faithful Mediator stood between life and death for those who sighed and cried against sin. He sealed them, protected them, He missed not one of them.

Then, He stood with His work complete, able to say, “I have done as You commanded Me.”

About 600 years later, in the Upper Room, just after Supper, just before going to Gethsemane, and then, the cross, to seal you and me, another Mediator prayed:

I HAVE GLORIFIED YOU ON THE EARTH. I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH YOU HAVE GIVEN ME TO DO. JOHN 17:4.

All that was left, was for Him to seal the deal.

The inkhorn was His body.

The ink His blood.

Mercy in the midst of wrath, protection in the eye of destruction.

A message only God could write.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way. Thou art the Potter I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will. While I am waiting, yielded and still. Fill me with Thy Spirit till all shall see, Christ only always, living in me.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

Call or text: 612-554-2522

Email: pray4measap@aol.com

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Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.

Cherished Chastening, Hebrews 12:3-11

Outline:

3-4 Consider Jesus

5-11 Cherish Chastening

Hebrews 12:3-11
 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

 ⁴ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 

Has life ever knocked the wind out of your sails?

Left you weary?

Discouraged?

Wanting to quit?

You’re not alone. We’re in the same boat as the folks in Hebrews.

The answer then, and now, is the same...

Consider Jesus.

He too walked this weary trail.

Consider Jesus.

He got tired, hungry, sleepy, had emotions, shed tears, was tempted...

Yet without sin.

Consider Jesus.

He endured sinners and resisted sin.

We have it a bit backwards.

We resist sinners and endure sin, tolerate, put up with, pacify, turn the other cheek, become desensitized to sin.

Consider Jesus.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12. 

Consider Jesus, and in so doing:

5-11 Cherish Chastening

As we read verses 5-11, see if you can see an often repeated word and count how many times it’s repeated.

⁵ 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;
⁶ For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Did you spot the often repeated word?

Chasten?

Yes. How many times?  

Seven?

Good job. Seven times in seven verses.

When God repeats a word it’s not because He has a small vocabulary, it’s for us to sit up and pay attention.                                                               

What do you think when you hear: chasten?

Spanking? Punishment? Correction...?

That’s what I was thinking.

Context is king when interpreting Scripture and this chapter opens with the spotlight clearly on Jesus, telling us to look to Jesus in verse two, and consider Jesus in verse three.

However, Jesus never sinned, never needed punishing.

So, in context what exactly is the Bible telling us about chastening?

Chasten: Παιδεία, Paideia: discipline, instruction, training, education.

No, spanking, no punishment, just training, instructing, educating.

Interesting.  

Click here for a short video depicting chastening.

Now, look again at verse 11 of our text, it adds more color and context.

¹¹ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

 Trained: Γυμνάζω, gumnazó: To train, exercise, intense disciplined workout, obtaining full agility, skill, endurance, gained only from constant, rigorous training.

So, when trouble comes (which it will, Jesus promised, in the world you will have tribulation, John 16:33), view it joyfully, as an opportunity for obtaining full agility, skill, endurance, yielding the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

Cherish Chastening.

Gladly receive chastening. If you are without chastening, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

Do not despise (take lightly, consider worthless) chastening. To do so calls into question whether we are a child of God.

Hebrews 5:8 tells us, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

1 Peter 4:12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

James 1:2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

So, when from out of the blue the world gets wonky, things go sideways, chastening comes, shout, “Hallelujah! Paideia! Gumnazó! I made the Chastening Team!

Cherish Chastening

Why do we need Gumnazó? Intense rigorous training?

What in the world are we training for?

Great question!

If you are indeed a CHRISTian, then, you are indeed a Child of the King.

If you are a Child of the King, then, you are Royalty in Training.

Cool! Training for what?

Just your Divine Eternal Purpose and calling, to rule and reign with Christ.

Take your time, read the following verses, and see yourself in the future.

Daniel 7:18, 27, Romans 8:17, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 1:6, 2:26, 3:21, 5:9-10, 20:4, 20:6, 22:5.

Dear Saint, from now on there are no problems to shake our faith, just chastening to grow it, proof of our Father’s love, opportunities to be partakers of His holiness, yielding the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

Let’s pray.

Dear Holy Heavenly Father, help us to look to You, consider You, and cherish Your chastening, so we will not become weary, slothful or dull of hearing, but vigilant watchmen, wise stewards, fervent warriors, in Your Kingdom, now and forever more. Lord we pray that of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.