Last night after RA duty (2:00am), I read the latter chapters of Hebrews before I went to sleep. Though I had read these chapters dozens of times before, God revealed to me his word in a manner which I had yet to gaze upon before
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. THEREFORE lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be out of joint but rather be healed” Hebrews 12:11-13.
God says that though discipline is tough, quit shaking your knees, lift up your hands in reverent praise to him, and keep walking the path he directs us toward. Through the unpleasantries of life, we must continue to show him our praise. No matter our changing hardships, he never changes. He remains the same. And if he remains the same, and if he is worthy of praise during the pleasant periods of our lives, logically, he deserves praise during the disjointed periods of our lives. Through the praising his name, God heals us and gives us the peaceful fruit of his righteousness which we can find only in Christ Jesus.
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves…” Proverbs 3:12. “…the ONE…” Our God develops an individual relationship with each of his children.
His love for us reaches from the highest of heavens to the lowest of depths. How vast and measureless is our Father’s love for man that his Son would step down from the glories of heaven so the Father could pour out our deserved wrath on him! Who else can conquer God’s wrath but God alone? Who is like him?
Death’s chains were torn with the veil. And who else but our loving and just God would make sinful creatures co-heirs to the thrown of Christ? By Jesus our sins are imputed. God looks upon Jesus as a fully paid debt of our sin. By these truths we can know the steadfastness of God’s love towards us.
May my heart strive only toward the blazed path of my God’s grace.
“…for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them” Hebrews 13:9.
I love this. It really is so amazing what God’s Word can do and how many times we can read a passage without REALLY reading it, or how many times we can read it and gain a fresh perspective on it each time. God’s revelations truly are amazing. I especially love what you wrote about God’s relationship with each one of us individually, even in punishment. He knows us so well. Who else could we possibly follow? Who else could our hearts cry out for?