Shared Holiness

Hebrews 12  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of ^[spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.   All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Maybe you had an absent father who never disciplined you at all, or one who disciplined in anger and hurt you over and over.  Our earthly fathers corrected us the way they knew how, but it was imperfect in motive and deed. 

However, God only disciplines us for good. Why? So that we can share in his holiness.

Discipline is not fun, it hurts, and it surely does no good when we are beaten and abused.  And a child who is never disciplined runs wild and ends up destroying himself and others.

But when we allow God to discipline us in his love, allow it to “train” us, we will then yield this ripe juicy fruit called righteousness – or holiness – where we are without shame, wounds, lies, etc – all of those things that plague us now.

I’m looking forward to living that kind of peaceful life…are you?  It requires discipline, but the kind that brings life…not death.