2 Timothy 3:16-17, New International Version

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The other day, as I was praying and seeking the Lord, I felt Him guiding me to a scripture in the Bible. I was going through a challenging moment and was looking for answers. He took me to Hebrews 12:7-11 (NIV), “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 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! 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. 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.”

When I read this scripture, I felt that I was better able to handle my challenging

circumstance. I wanted to have righteousness and peace harvested in my life. I desire to share in God’s holiness, for Him to change me from the inside out…to be like my Father! It never feels good to be disciplined, but we can either accept it and learn from it, or we can reject it and lose out on the benefit of our discipline. So many people struggle to see the good that comes from discipline. But as the scripture also talks about, our earthly fathers, or in my case, my mom, disciplined me when I was a child. I don’t look back on my childhood and think about the times my mother corrected me. I see all the good she did for me in my life and how her corrections taught me the difference between what is right and what is wrong. She helped to shape my character and teach me integrity. Isn’t that what our Father in heaven is doing but on a greater scale?

I also wanted to share something with you that I learned about the word “trained” at the end of our scripture verse. When I looked up it’s meaning in the Greek, it was referencing a pro-athlete and the training and exercise they go through to prepare them for what is ahead and to allow them to be in top physical condition to do well. I thought that was encouraging as well, because if we look at this from a spiritual perspective, we are being trained/exercised to be in top spiritual condition for what is ahead of us. The scripture tells us that our Father disciplines us because He loves us and wants us to share in His holiness. Why would we not want the love of our Father and to mirror our Father in His holiness?! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” How is God teaching, rebuking, correcting and or training you in righteousness? Be encouraged that a loving Father loves you enough to prepare you for a future filled with His faithfulness and enduring love that will lead you into eternity!