Daily Dose 11-14-13

Hebrews 12:7-11 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, 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! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order 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.

It can get tricky when we look at our hardships and question why we must endure them. “Did God inflict this on me? How can a loving God do that?”
“What did I ever do to deserve this?”
“Look at how they have rejected and ridiculed God, and their life is so easy!”
The source of hardships is as varied as the people who endure them; but ultimately, the source goes back to the sin of Adam and Eve. God did have a perfect world of ease established for His children – sin changed all that. Some of the hardships we endure today can be traced to the consequences of our own poor decisions. Some, God may allow us to endure to play a role in painting a picture to others of living through hard times in His loving grace. And, some things are just life on earth, plain and simple. Whatever the source of your hardship may be, how you endure it will teach you more about your relationship with God. If you rebel, blaming Him for inflicting or allowing Your pain, you will miss the comfort of His embrace carrying you through. If you throw a pity party, whining constantly about your struggle, you loose the power of your ability to boldly proclaim faith in Him. The Message translation interprets these hardships as training. Face each life struggle as a teachable moment for God to show more of Himself to you, or to others through you!

Loving Father, open my eyes to what You want to show me through each struggle. Use Your Spirit to prick my heart to respond the way that will bring a proud parent smile on Your face! I love You! Amen