Not only did Jesus suffer and endure, He even experienced joy in the midst of His suffering because He knew it was for a purpose (12:2)! We need to be like Him. The crowd of the faithful is watching us. Will we endure? Will we persevere? Will we experience joy in the midst of suffering? Even divine discipline has a purpose in our lives. God disciplines because He is our Father and He wants us to be righteous. He also wants to produce peace in our lives, which comes when we are walking with Him. The quotes from Isaiah 35:3 and Proverbs 4:26-27 remind us that discipline helps to train, strengthen, and guide us.
We are warned to continue in our faith journey and pursue peace, holiness, graciousness, morality, and godliness. What could happen if we don’t? Well, the old covenant is given as an example. When the law was given on the mountain the Israelites shuddered in fear. It was amazing. It was awe inspiring. It was scary! Well, the new covenant is even greater than the old:
“But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.”
Thought for the day: How should we respond in this new covenant?
Hebrews 12:28 (WEB) “Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
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