Tuesday

Discipline Is Good

Hebrews 12:10-11 says, “Our 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. No 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.”

Discipline is good. God disciplines us to accomplish good in our lives, to help us become more like him. Discipline is like a guardrail, preventing us from plunging off the road and into deeper dangers.

Yet discipline feels so bad. It stings, it hurts, it humbles. It certainly doesn’t feel pleasant when you are going through it. That's because pain and discomfort are essential to effective discipline as God--often through human means--nudges us back on the right road.

In the end, if we respond to discipline we can expect wonderful blessings – a harvest of righteousness and peace. The condition is listening, applying, and changing in response to discipline. The outcome is a glorious harvest of holiness in our lives.

Lord, help us to embrace discipline. Although it is painful, help us to be trained by it. Remind us of the harvest we will see some day in the near future.