Discipleship Response
Hebrews 12:7,9
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children… 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 spirits and live!
Pondering Point
What comes with being a child of God?
A relationship with a Heavenly Father who wants the best for you, even when you might not want it as much as Him! Part of learning to trust our Father is to not fight Him amid hardship or discipline. Instead, we are encouraged to submit to the Father trusting that this is the way to life. Take time to review and repent (if necessary) and return to God in light of this scripture passage.
Review
When you experience hardship, do you look for God in the midst? Do you blame Him? When you experience discipline, do you look for God in the midst? What does submission to God look like you?
Repent if Necessary
Repent of not submitting to the Father in ways that you are aware that you should be. You might need to repent of rejecting hardship as an opportunity to learn under God or for rejecting discipline as an opportunity to return to God.
Return as Necessary
Psalm 27:8 records God saying, "Seek my face." And the Psalmist’s response is, “My heart says, ‘Your face Lord I will seek.’" Agree to seek the Lord in the midst of your hardship. Agree to seek the Lord in the midst of discipline. Agree to submit the Lord before, during and after your experience.
Hurry is a form of violence on the soul.
A lot of you still don't believe me, so let's
take a little self-inventory. Here are my ten symptoms of hurry sickness.
Check if the symptoms ring true for you:
1. Irritability
2. Hypersensitivity
3. Restlessness
4. Workaholism (or non-stop activity)
5. Emotional numbness
6. Out-of-order priorities
7. Lack of care for your body
8. Escapist behaviors
9. Slippage of spiritual disciplines
10. Isolation.
Okay do the math... How did you score? seven out of ten? Eight? Yeah, don't worry you're not alone. Reject any guilt or shame you're feeling right now. It's not helpful, rarely from God, and definitely not my agenda with this little exercise. The point I'm driving towards this: an over busy, hurried life of speed is the new normal in the western world, and it's toxic.
J.M. Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, p. 47-52