Contemplative Bible Reading

Hebrews 12:11 (New Living Translation)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Mark Twain once said something like, “A Classic is something you don’t want to read, but you want to say you have read it.” Well, Twain, like a lot of us, stole his quote from the Bible. The writer of Hebrews said the same thing about discipline some twenty centuries earlier.

Discipline hurts. If it didn’t hurt, it wouldn’t grab our attention. Few people like pain.

Discipline, however, does grab our attention and usually leads to change that helps us.

Please God, discipline me so that I progress. But, please God, don’t let it hurt too much. That is a silly prayer, but one I utter often.