Anchor Devotional
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Loving Discipline
“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.” Hebrews 12:11
One of the hardest things I have ever had to do as a cross-country coach was pull my best runner out midway through the most important race of the season. Because I could see that she was injured, I knew that allowing her to keep running could potentially cause serious physical harm to her. The difficulty wasn’t only in knowing the impact that losing her would have on our team, but also I knew it would be upsetting for her not to compete in the race she’d trained all season to run. So, regrettably, I pulled her out and then hugged her as she cried, devastated by the situation.
Ultimately, that decision was made because I cared about her and knew that the need to protect her from long-term injury outweighed her desire to finish.
When our heavenly Father sees us going down a path that could potentially cause us spiritual harm, He graciously disciplines us—sometimes even pulling us out of the race—so that we will grow in Christlikeness. He holds us in His loving embrace, even as He disciplines us for our good and for His glory.
“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10)
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
2 Chronicles 3-4
INSIGHT
Psalm 9
THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Matthew 13
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