Over the last months, Emma shared how she was feeling when life suddenly changed with Covid-19, and her plan to go back to a familiar passage. Here is the next episode…
#5: Hebrews 12:5-6
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
And chastises every son whom he receives.” [quote
from Proverbs 3:11-12]
***
These two verses begin a section about the discipline the Lord gives to his children (v5-11). I went back to Proverbs to read the exhortation that I may have ‘forgotten’… Turns out I knew a part of that exhortation but was carelessly unaware of the bit I was supposed to remember. Proverbs 3:1-12 looks (roughly) like this:
•V1-2 = Obey the commandments [of God] because they produce life and peace
•V3-4 = A life of steadfast love and faithfulness leads to finding favour with God and man
• V5-6 = Wholehearted trust in the Lord results in a straight path (which, I take it, means knowing the destination and the right way to go)
• V7-8 = Fearing God and turning away from evil will bring genuine healing and refreshment
• V9-10 = Honouring God with what we have (i.e. having our priorities rightly ordered) will result in our needs being abundantly met
• V11-12 = Accept God’s discipline because he is treating you as his own children.
Twelve verses that summarise exactly what it is to live as a child of God in a world marred by sin. I may have forgotten this exhortation. I plan on endeavouring to remember it, in context, in days to come.