David Bahn – Reflections

Hebrews 12:11

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Discipline has both a negative and positive connotation. The negative is obvious: it is a corrective practice, often involving punitive action because of one’s disobedience. On the positive side, discipline is a means by which we shape, refine, or control ourselves so that we are more honed and prepared to act in a particular way. One might have the discipline of reading the Bible, or going to the gym. In either case, however, there is a bit of pain involved in any disciplinary effort. As they say, “There’s no gain without pain.”

Indeed. In Christ, however, there is no pain without gain! That’s not always true in other arenas of life. If you sprain an ankle while following a discipline of running there may be only pain – and no gain from that physical experience. If your business goes bankrupt in the pursuit of bigger and better things, there is simply pain. You may or may not learn something. You may or may not see a benefit in the long-run financially-speaking.

On the other hand, whenever Christ is part of the equation of life the most painful experiences will be redeemed. That means the loss of a spouse or child can yield a good result as God works things out for our good (see Romans 8:28!). So the business failure can become a trajectory refraction: you may discover a whole new vocational calling, or learn a different way to pursue your goals. The sprained ankle may lead you to a slower walk, new friends, and other blessings.

It may be that God allows or even visits discipline on us; that he intervenes in our lives because we are headed the wrong direction. He always has a good outcome in mind for us. And whether we feel we are under the heavy hand of God’s discipline, or simply realize that our troubles are the fruit of our own wrong decisions, we can hold to the hope of the peaceful fruit of righteousness – however it manifests itself in our lives.

Hebrews 12:1-11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

³  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

⁷ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹ Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.