“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:8-12
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
In yesterday’s devotion I said, “People teach passages like this one to justify their thoughts that God chastens us with harshness and punishment. But in reality God chastens the New Covenant believer with His Word which is life giving!” As we see in Hebrews 4:8-12 the Word of God is living and powerful! It is not just a history book that we are to keep on the shelf with our other books and it is not just a book we take to church once a week to give the impression we actually read it. It is the life giving, breath of God that infuses us with everything we need for life and godliness! It is ALIVE and it has power to change, transform, heal, resurrect, and correct! By it we are made clean as Jesus taught in John 15:3-4. He said, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
The Word also corrects us, instructs us, and completes us! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” And what I want us to realize is that correction and reproof (rebuke) never feel good at the time, but for the mature person they empower them to grow and mature in order to avoid falling into the same trouble again. But when God use His word for these it is like a two edged sword. In other words it protects and corrects at the same time.
For example many years ago I was a very angry person because of the injustices I had experienced. I allowed those injustices to affect my attitude even after they were over. That led me have a mindset of defense, a tongue that lashed out, and a hard countenance! When God began to correct me with His Word in this area I resisted. I felt justified in my anger and didn’t want to be corrected. But in His great mercy and love for me God knew that my anger would destroy me so He began to correct me. First He led me to Scriptures that talked about forgiveness but at the same time He led me to Scriptures that talked about my righteousness in Him through Jesus. My flesh fought the forgiveness Scriptures but my spirit received the righteousness Scriptures.
There was a tug of war in my members and it hurt because I didn’t want to let go of my anger but the more I peered into the Word and learned of my righteousness in God through Jesus, I desired to think, speak, and act like Jesus did. And as we know He thought, spoke, and acted in love. Well, I couldn’t do those things when I was consumed by anger so I had a decision to make. I could let God’s Word correct me in my anger and learn to love and forgive as Jesus did, or I could hold onto my anger and live a self absorbed life of unforgiveness. Praise God I chose to let the Word correct me because today I am free from the bondage of anger. Does this make sense? You see God’s Word brought life to my spirit while at the same time it caused death in my flesh!
It hurt and healed simultaneously! It seemed painful at the time, but ultimately it strengthened and matured me and I grew into one whose life bears the fruit of the Spirit as a result. In other words it did what Hebrews 12:11 speaks of. It says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Can you see it? Do you perceive it? God does not punish us like a harsh parent because God put that harsh punishment on Jesus so that through faith in Him would could enter His rest and experience His life giving correction when we sin (miss the mark). This is the beauty of the Cross and the truth about God’s correction or chastening for the New Covenant believer! With this understanding Hebrews 4:16 is put into effect for the mature believer when they sin. It says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
There comes a point when we actually will pursue God and ask Him to prune us and correct us in His Word because we know that in the end the life giving nutrients of His Word will cause us to bear fruit in our lives and that fruit will last. This is the understanding I want all of us to come to because it is what will cause us to be living examples of the Word, which will ignite an energy source that draws the world to us and they will want what we have. And it will help us to reach people who are trapped in a religious bondage of a punishment mentality and show them who God truly is to the New Covenant believer.
Prayer: Lord I desire to understand Your chastening and rebuke for me as a New Covenant believer. Cleanse me of old thought patterns that see You as a harsh God who punishes like an immature earthly parent. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand Your new relationship with me because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. I believe by faith that as I grow and mature in wisdom in this area of my life, my life will begin to bear fruit. Amen
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