SPIRITUAL
DIARY FOR 07-04-03
My
Worship Time Focus:
An example of discipline
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Hebrews 12:7- 8
Message
of the verses: “7 It is for
discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is
there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers,
then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” (NASB)
“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you
as his own children. Whoever heard of a
child who was never disciplined? 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 after all.” (NLT)
The writer
now moves on to personal experiences of being disciplined, and takes that from
the father, as he would discipline one of his sons. I have heard it said that we never have to
teach our children to do wrong, but we certainly have to correct their wrong
doing, and the reason that is because we love them. Sometimes it not only hurts the child to do
this but it also hurts the father, but this is what they call tough love. We as parents probably would on many
occasions want to discipline one of the neighbor’s children but because they
are not ours we do not do so. Our
heavenly Father only will discipline His own children, and the reason behind
this is His great love for His own children.
He loves us too much to leaves us go in the direction that we are
going. One of the interesting words in
this passage is found in verse 8 and it is the word translated in the NASB,
“illegitimate,” which is only used one time in the Bible, and is translated
“bastard” in the KJV. Dr. MacArthur says
that this could be a reference to Hagar and Ishmael, both Hagar and her son
Ishmael did not spiritually belong to Abraham.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: It is
just like God to have me study a passage in His Word that certainly applies to
the situation that I am in at this time, and it surely could be said that I am
being disciplined by the Lord at this time of my life because of the
investments I am involved in. I will
quote a portion from a verse note from the “Life Application Bible” that comes
from verses 5-11 in Hebrews 12: “Who
loves his child more—the father who allows the child to do what will harm him,
or the one who corrects, trains, and even punishes the child to help him learn
what is right? It’s never pleasant to be
corrected and disciplined by God, but his discipline is a sign of his deep love
for us. When God corrects you, se it as
proof of his love, and ask him what he is trying to teach you.”
The Word of God was challenging to me as well as convicting
to my heart as I studied it this morning.
My
Steps of Faith Today: I
certainly want to believe the truth of this section of Hebrews and I certainly
want to learn what it is that God wants me to learn for my investment
discipline so that I do not have to take the course over again.
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