SPIRITUAL
DIARY FOR 07-08-03
My
Worship Time Focus:
The Results of Discipline
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Hebrews 12:12-13
Message
of the verse: “12 Therefore,
strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and make
straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out
of joint, but rather be healed.”
(NASB) “So take a new grip with
your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are
weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.” (NLT)
In verse
11 the writer gives one of the results of discipline when he says that it will
“afterward it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have
been trained by it,” or have exercised by it.
This is one of the results of discipline. It also encourages us to exercise in
spiritual matters like the Word of God, prayer, meditation and witnessing, etc,
and this all leads to joy.
How are we
then to respond to the discipline of God?
“We may respond to discipline in several ways: (1) We can accept it with
resignation; (2) we can accept it with self-pity, thinking we really don’t
deserve it; (3) we can be angry and resentful toward God; or (4) we can accept it gratefully, as
the appropriate response we owe a loving Father.” Life Application Bible
Now the
writer uses the word “therefore” to start out the 12th verse, which
means it refers back to what we have been reading. In light of all of these things he has been
telling us in this chapter he encourages us to do these things he writes in 12
& 13. The writer is like a coach who
tells us to get into the race and to get it together and run the race of life
and by doing this, we will also be able to encourage others around us to do the
same.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I am sure
that it is true that there are others who are watching how I react to the storm
that God is leading me through, and I do believe that part of this is truly
discipline from the Lord for a number of things that I know that I have been
doing wrong concerning my investments and the wrong attitude that I have had
about money. This may all be discipline,
but whatever it is the Lord is lovingly getting my attention and I have
confessed many different things that I have done wrong and am still asking the
Lord to continue to search me in regard to this storm that He is leading me
through. I pray that I will be a good
example as to how I handle this storm of discipline from the Lord so that
others who see me will see the Lord in my life giving me the strength and the
peace to deal with it. God loves me too
much to leave me the way I was.
The Word of God was indeed a challenge to my heart as I
read it this morning.
My
Steps of Faith Today: I
want to trust the Lord to be true to His Word and search me, “23
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