As you know I’m preparing to go to seminary. I’m going to express a theological thought that has changed how I see certain life experiences. Brace yourself! This one is a little lengthy. It takes me awhile to put something together that will make sense. Hopefully, you can follow along. I don’t want to just write something lengthy but something that explains what I’ve chewed on for years and will continue to chew on for the rest of my life. This is a passage that has meant a lot to me and given great peace to my soul in times of self reflection. It has confused me, encouraged me, and left me just frustrated. It’s good to wrestle with scripture, it’s a humbling experience.
I want to write about the first half of Hebrews chapter 12. It is a hard, but glorious text full of encouragement when understood. It’s full of rich meaning and truth. The chapter covers so much, but I want to focus on a certain part, mainly verses 4-11. It’s hard to leave out verses 1-3, because those set up the whole context for the rest of the text and wrap up the passage by pointing the reader back to Jesus and his example of long-suffering. So starting in verse 4:
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
Then the author of Hebrews drops this amazing verse in there to further enhance the importance of endurance and trust in the father. He sympathizes with the reader at a much needed time. Continuing with verse 11:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
After reading that you just have to go, wow. Then follows a,” what does that mean?” The meaning is not mysterious though; we can take many things and build our strong foundation on how God treats us as sons. There are many exhortations in that passage, ones that are good and meant to protect the children of God. A Father who loves us also wants to protect and provide for us.
The redeemed of God who have walked with Him for any period of time know that we cannot always walk high on the mountain; sometimes we have to tread through the valleys. The church in America seems to tell us that we always have to put on the nice face and play as if everything was alright (opening another discussion, but I must finish this one). It’s not always alright, so what is going on during a time like this and how should we see and approach the situation. This is what I’ve struggled with over the years.
In times when I feel distant from the Lord, I feel as though I’m doing something wrong. Jesus likes to humble his people and gradually, but surely he shows us more and more how wicked we are. I’m thinking, what’s going on here and why is this happening? Nobody ever explained to me that this was normal and a part of the Christian life. Thankfully I came across this text and God spoke to my heart in a wonderful way. Four years ago I experienced a period in my life where I knew God was doing something, but I did not know what. I was scared and honestly I thought I had lost my salvation. I’ve learned a lot since then. As I was reading this passage one night, it leaped off the page at me. The Holy Spirit was saying, “This is what I’m allowing you to go through.” At that point I experienced a thrilling peace! A huge weight was lifted. I realized there is a purpose in this misery and loneliness, because that’s what it felt like.
Remember what it said in verse 11, the discipline seems painful at the time. It can be very painful and sometimes there is no end in sight. This was the question posed to me, how much pain is there and was the pain that I was experiencing actually discipline from the Lord? It seems strange at first, but I hoped I was, because that meant I was a legitimate child of God being instructed by his discipline. There was really no previous standard of pain to compare it to. Jesus wanted me to trust him and trust in His word. He wanted me to be thankful and content for the present situation. At the moment, I was just thinking about the present and not the future. Christ wants to conform us to the image of himself and it takes time and long-suffering.
To wrap things up, I wanted to touch on something that you probably were curious about. I mentioned it at the beginning, but you forgot while enduring through this compilation of thoughts. It was the title, never good enough. You may have caught on to where I was going with this, but I want to explain why I used it briefly. That statement refers more to what the enemy says to rob me of the joy and knowledge that God is working. When grey clouds hover over my head, the enemy tries his best to inject lies into my mind. He says, “You will never be good enough.” He’s right and there my hope is not put in myself, but in Christ Jesus, my hope of glory. He has forgotten that Jesus saves.
The darkness lasts for only awhile. Freedom comes! God’s word engulfs the darkness shining like the sun into my weary soul. The battle continues in seeing God for who he is and how he sees us. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I no longer want to live under the cloud of the Law. Christ redeemed us from the Law (Galatians 3). Patience and suffering mark this journey, but the journey is one worth fighting for.
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1 comment:
Wow that was long but worth it. I'm glad that you have been through the valley and are headed up another mountain on your way to the Celestial City (Pilgrim's Progress). Thanks for coming to my baptism yesterday it really meant a lot to me.
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