This is rather lengthy …I pray that you bear with me and
read it in its entirety…
I was talking to my sister the other day and she said
something to me that initially had me boiling mad; I love my sister dearly so I
heard her out and as she went on to explain why she felt a certain way I couldn't
help but embrace the truth in her statement. She was telling me the truth about
myself and she risked receiving my anger out of care and concern for my
well being.
Later on in the day I gave her words even more thought and I
immediately thought about the times in my life where I allowed bitterness and
resentments to deafen me to the truth and what hardship were a result of my
selective hearing. Me, being who I am, I automatically went to see what the
word of God had to say about resentments.
I was immediately drawn to a passage in Hebrews, Chapter 12:
Hebrew 12: 7 – 16 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is
treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by
their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes
discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 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! 10 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.11 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.
12 Therefore,
strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for
your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
14 Make every
effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without
holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls
short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause
trouble and defile many.16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is
godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the
oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this
blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he
could not change what he had done.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out why sexual
immorality was mentioned in a passage about discipline…then it just clicked
with me. My aha moment – the desires of the flesh will take you off your faith
walk faster than anything I know. I then went to my favorite Bible commentary
to see if I was on the right track in deciphering this seemingly oddly placed
wording.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary breaks the passage down:
12:12-17 A burden of
affliction is apt to make the Christian's hands hang down, and his knees grow
feeble, to dispirit him and discourage him; but against this he must strive,
that he may better run his spiritual race and course. Faith and patience enable
believers to follow peace and holiness, as a man follows his calling
constantly, diligently, and with pleasure. Peace with men, of all sects and
parties, will be favorable to our pursuit of holiness. But peace and holiness
go together; there can be not right peace without holiness. Where persons fail
of having the true grace of God, corruption will prevail and break forth;
beware lest any unmortified lust in the heart, which seems to be dead, should
spring up, to trouble and disturb the whole body. Falling away from Christ is
the fruit of preferring the delights of the flesh, to the blessing of God, and
the heavenly inheritance, as Esau did. But sinners will not always have such
mean thoughts of the Divine blessing and inheritance as they now have. It
agrees with the profane man's disposition, to desire the blessing, yet to
despise the means whereby the blessing is to be gained. But God will neither
sever the means from the blessing, nor join the blessing with the satisfying of
man's lusts. God's mercy and blessing were never sought carefully and not
obtained.
Do not take the things of God lightly. Understand that correction and trials are a
part of the perfecting of your faith. Know that there are going to be people
who will test you, your character and your response to the situation will be a
reflection of how you view and honor the things of God.
1 Peter 3: 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with
insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were
called so that you may inherit a blessing.
My last word on the subject – resentment is a spice that
will render your life bitter!
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