“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 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, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ Endure hardship as discipline” (Hebrews 12:4-7).
Don’t confuse feeling good with being good for you. That which is good for you does not have to feel good to you.
What cracks me up about this passage is that the writer of Hebrews sees this as a word of encouragement!
- In your struggle against sin
- Resisting to the point of shedding your blood
- Rebuke
- Discipline
- Chastening
- Hardship
Yup. Encouragement. That’s what the writer of Hebrews said.
If we have issues with this it’s because we have come to accept the lie that if it’s good for me, it must feel good to me.
What a bunch of crock! We know this isn’t true. It’s not true when it comes to eating healthy. It’s not true when it comes to physical exercise. It’s not true when it comes to studying and reading. It’s not true in pretty much everything that is good.
God’s will for you is good. And there is absolutely nothing that says it must feel good to you in order to be good for you. So receive these words of encouragement. “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’ Therefore, endure hardship as discipline.”
Praxis: Faith in Action 