Hebrews 12:4-6 (NIVUK)
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.’
As I read that opening verse, I find myself transported to the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper, where God’s Son urgently sought his Father in prayer. His struggle to resist temptation, to remain faithful, was such that he sweated blood (Luke 22:44). The writer of Hebrews is challenging us to strive to follow him and remain faithful at all costs, and reminds us, through quoting Proverbs 3:11-12, that this struggle is in fact an affirmation – we only struggle because we are God’s children.
Jesus, on that dreadful night, what did you learn? Did you grow through your suffering? Help us to also give all in keeping faithful.
Leave a Reply