2019 – Deeper
Training Ground
THIS WEEK’S FOCUSED SCRIPTURE:
5“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 ‘For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.’ Hebrews 12:5-11 (NLT)
THOUGHTS FROM WADE:
Discipline. That’s not a word many of us like to hear. I know I don’t. If you’re like me though, I want all that God has for me. I want to know Him more, experience His presence more, see more of His power at work in my life. The hard truth is that if we want to be more like Him and leave our sinful nature behind, then we will enter seasons that require us to be disciplined by God. The problem is that many of us have a distorted outlook on what healthy discipline looks like, due to the brokenness of our earthly fathers. Some of us have even experienced downright bad fathers who have made it nearly impossible to see God as THE GOOD FATHER.
I have four children. Yes, you read that right. Of all the things God has called me to, the thing I love the very most is being a father. Yet, in my attempt to do my very best, I still fail as a father at times. We all fail, but there is one who absolutely does not fail, and that is our Heavenly Father. He is our perfect Father; the one who does not fail and will not fail you. And because He loves you so very much, He will not let you stay where you are, fighting the same battles and issues that keep you from experiencing the greatness that He has for your life. Therefore, there will be times that God must discipline you.
What I love about God is that His discipline will always lead to something greater for us, but most importantly, IN US. Verse 11 states, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” This verse shows us what our responsibility is—to allow these seasons to train us! See, many of us feel the discipline of God, but we haven’t seen that God is training us for something. This time of discipline is training ground. Training you for a greater call, greater joy, and greater peace! That’s what I want.
So today, I want to encourage you to allow the discipline to do its work. Embrace the discipline of the Lord. Remember, He is a Good Father and He only disciplines those He loves. He loves you and He’s training you for something even greater!
VICTORY.CHURCH