December 14 – Hebrews 12:3-17
Jesus, our Savior King, we praise You for You are Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!!!! We thank You for You secure our peace! We fall before You in worship and adoration. Draw near to us, Lord of all.
What an odd passage for not only peace but for Christmas Advent, right? Yet, look way down in verse 11, ‘peaceful fruit of righteousness.’ God wants us to have peace, so He sent the Prince of Peace. The Prince of Peace is righteous, so it should lead us to the knowledge that righteousness brings peace. Because how peaceful is our life when we are living out of step with God, really, right? Not very, for sure!
We all want the peace that God offers; we want those peaceful still nights, the quiet choir singing, the twinkling lights, and the smell of cinnamon in the air. But that is not peace, peace. What is peace, actually? Let’s look at some synonyms for peace found in the Oxford dictionary: strife-free, harmonious, disciplined, orderly, cordial. What are some antonyms? Unruly, warring. Quite the contrast. The word peace as we know it today comes from Old French peisible, meaning to please. In Greek, the word is eirēnikos, meaning to bring peace with it. So wow. Peace is not a temporary, nostalgic, surface level thing. It is deeply rooted, pleasing to behold…. And it is to be carried with us.
So, what do we really desire? Do we just desire peace itself but not the God who graces us with it? Or do we want the God of peace and to live a life that is pleasing to Him? I think if we sit down and meet with God about this, we may be surprised at the answer to that question. It can
be so easy to want just the peace, but not the work required to have that peace. It can be easy to push God to the side, the God who is the provider of peace, and just grab hold of peace. And then… we are crushed and left doubting when the peace is fleeting. Because we have grabbed ahold of the wrong ‘thing’ entirely. Is God’s peace alone enough? Of course! But can we have it carried with us if we don’t do what is required of it? No, not at all. We are held to a standard, a set of Godly laws, that tells us how to live a life pleasing to Him. One without blemish, one that is not defiled, one that seeks peace with others. The author of Hebrews likens our faith journey to a race. A race of endurance, one that is long distance, one that can bring weariness if not conditioned correctly for it.
Jesus came to show us how to run that race, to show us how to have that kind of peace, to show us the way to salvation. His birth was one step in His plan of salvation. He came for our sake, not His. He came to set us free from burden, to sharpen us, to discipline us, to teach us…. To love us. If you have been wrestling with a lack of peace, go to God with that. Kneel before Him and ask Him to show you where your endurance is not enduring. This Christmas season, strive to know how to have that kind of peace that is carried with you and not dropped somewhere along the way, flittering and fleeting. But a peace that is steadfast because your endurance run is strong and healthy.
My Verse: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
My Response: My Lord Jesus, oh Righteous One. Show me, God, where I am lacking. Show me where I need to be sharpened. I want to run to You without faltering, without breathing heavily, with all the peace that I can hold. And I can only do that through and with You.
Further Reading: James 3:13-18; Isaiah 53
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, share what He has laid on your heart in the comment section below. Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.
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Sharon’s Morning Thoughts: It’s such a relief to know that when God allows trials that discipline us it is always for our good. Human fathers often have selfish motivations. God is perfect in every way, and only allows what is for the best in light of eternity. I can trust His discipline – even if I don’t like it!!
My verse: Hebrews 12:10 “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”
When trials come, Lord, like the Meniere’s attacks on Wednesday, help me to receive them as Your training for the good end of my sharing in Your holiness. Which seems almost too much to comprehend. And thank You that trials yield “a peaceful harvest of right living” as I cling to You in them. Nothing is wasted with You, Lord. What You allow will ultimately bring about a greater closeness for You and me, and a stripping away of anything that keeps me from drawing near. I love You, Lord, and I receive what You allow.