Pondering Hebrews 12:1-13

God Disciplines His Sons
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."[a]

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, 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 our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13"Make level paths for your feet,"[b] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Footnotes:

Hebrews 12:6 Prov. 3:11,12
Hebrews 12:13 Prov. 4:26

Words, phrases that stuck out to me:

*** ...sin that so easily entangles,; verse 1: I especially am drawn to the word entangle. When I get tangled up in something, I am stuck. I will probably fall, may even get injured. Do I view sin as something that has that effect on me? I hope so, but surely not enough. Sin so easily and readily creeps in to our lives when we aren't in constant focus on our savior...usually without us realizing it. Oh sure, we can go out and boldly do stupid things, but often in those cases there were "little entanglements" that led to an attitude where we could so easily rationalize the destructive, splitting-from-God behavior. The tough thing to do is truly be aware of the little vines that seem inconsequential, but as they creep up our legs, get stronger, slow us down, and ultimately, make us fall on our face...

*** Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,; verse 2: This, while seeming to be a typical "church answer" (you know, "read the bible! pray more! JESUS!"), is how we don't get entangled. But how? First, by KNOWING that Jesus is the author of our faith. Think about that... He wrote it. Not just a "part of the story, one of many stories"...he is who birthed it. Christ has been involved intimately from the beginning of all things. HOLY COW! Also, the word perfecter. Jesus is who does the perfecting, NOT us. We struggle soooooo mightily with that one, relying on our own experience, intellect, personality, etc. We think, "If I just grit my teeth and fight through this, I will get better..." No. That will always fail. But by seeking and allowing Jesus to perfect us, praying for help, change, etc., and releasing it to him, it happens. I know from experience. I know it is hard for others to realize someone else's experience of knowing God, but there have been times I truly asked God to change me...and then allowed him to by remembering my prayer, by reminding myself, and ultimately, by "releasing" it, trusting that God would do it...and I could look back later and see how my heart was different.

*** "...the Lord disciplines those he loves..."; verse 6: That word, discipline, shows up a lot in this passage. And I suspect none of us like it one bit, haha. No really, how many "like" the notion that we can be disciplined by God? That things are allowed to occur in our life, so we can grow stronger from them (despite the pain involved)?

*** Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.; verse 7: First, when things aren't going our ways, we need to not wonder, "Where are you, God? Why are you doing this to me?", and instead ponder how God may "tweak" us during that time, all for HIS glory (and oh, to have his glory be our primary purpose in ALL things...so hard to do...). Also, I am encouraged by knowing that he is doing it because he views me as his son. This has such new meaning as I am now a parent. I HATE having to discipline Jackson, and I'm not talking about just the inconvenience; I hate the fact that I have to "get on him", or give a swat (yes, on occasion), or send to time-out. But, I also know that I am trying to train him in God's ways...and while it is no fun, for either of us, it is because I am bonkers about my boy and want him to be the best man he can. To know that God thinks the same of me, in the midst of hardship and discipline...wow.

*** ...god disciplines us for good, that we may share in his holiness.; verse 10: Much like the above "pondering", our discipline is Good (notice the capital "G") and is so we may share in his holiness. That is huge. God actually wants us to experience HIS holiness...

*** ...strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet..."; verse 12, spilling into 13: Because of all just read and pondered...I need to allow for strengthening and healing. LET God do those things. Be willing to take the necessary steps. For when I am weak, that is when God really shines through... http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=54&chapter=12&verse=10&version=31&context=verse


Where am I getting all tangled up? Are there some little, annoying things creeping in that I may miss, and need to deal with? Are there some big things that need to get CHOPPED? Am I allowing Jesus to perfect me? Do I look to him in all things?

Do I blame God for hardship? If I am...how is that affecting how I approach my life, others, and God himself?

Where am I being disciplined? Where have I been disciplined by God in the past? Do I seek God, seek change, etc., in the midst of discipline and hardship, or am I bitter?