God's Chastisement

Hebrews 12: 1-13

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁴ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. ⁵ And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
⁶ For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

¹² Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses the word says: God, our Lord, the elders, elects, angels and spirits including thunder, lightning and fire etc.  When you’re living for God and making Him your all in all, He will show you signs, wonders, and visions as we read our bibles and stay connected to Him.  Dying to our flesh and becoming a holy being is what God desires for us.  God tells us this race is not to the quick and fast, but to those who take their time in His word, to take the knowledge and wisdom from it, implementing it into their daily walk.  Remember, God says faith without works is dead.  Sin that so easily ensnares us we are to lay aside.  This can only be done, when we have total belief that the bible is true, and all of its promises can be revealed if we work it by faith.  God asks us not to become weary and discouraged through our fight of faith.  Meaning we are not going to become an overnight success.  Jesus had to walk this walk for 33 years to get the job completely done never once sinning, so how do we suppose we are any better.  God asks our parents to train us up in this right belief and be examples of how it should be walked.  However, since most of us who didn’t have that luxury we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling on our own.  God intends on spending the rest of eternity with us, so we must be well trained and equipped in knowledge and wisdom, able to humble ourselves and bow at His every request.  He says, our chastisement is not going to be spiritually joyful but painful.  He sent His pure and holy child down to earth because our bible ancestors refused to get this right.  We must now endure some of our kings suffering to know the extent He went to for us.  1 Peter 4: 1,2 says “Therefore since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”   God says in versus 12-13, strengthen our hands which hang down, from this chastisement stand up straight and make for our feet new pathways, stop entertaining sin with sinful people so what is lame might not be dislocated for life, but rather healed by Him.  Our fight is spiritual, so we must choose whom we’re going to serve.  I say God, and embrace His chastisement.

Bless us all God as we embrace your chastisement in love,

Vincent Young, Christian Analyst.