Hebrews 12:5-10 — Father Figure

READ THIS: Hebrews 12:5-10

5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
 
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 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 spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

The picture of God as a father really is painted in this passage. Sometimes we view God as different roles to us- maybe a friend, or a mentor, or a listener; but here we get an image of Him as a father. Specifically, as a disciplining father. I really liked verse 9 and in other words, if we respect our earthly fathers enough to follow their discipline, shouldn't we respect and trust the discipline of the creator of all of our earthly fathers even more? Sometimes it can be easy to be mad at God, but this passage is basically telling us, just trust & give it some time. Romans 8:28 gives us the confidence that God has a plan for us and it is good, but what we might think is "good" might not be in the grand scheme of things, but God knows! Which is also seen in verse 10, "God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness."

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Think about a time your parents disciplined you and you didn't agree with them in the moment. Did you see how it helped you in the long run?
 
2. How do you usually view God? Is He usually a father figure to you or something else? Why do you think that is?

TRY THIS:

Write down aspects of what you think a father would have or things your dad does do that you like! Think about how those might translate to God's character.

SONG OF THE WEEK:
 
One day, we will see that everything we went through on this side of heaven was worth it! Think about that as you listen to this song.





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