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希伯来书12:4-7：4你们与罪恶相争，还没有抵挡到流血的地步。5你们又忘了那劝你们如同劝儿子的话，说：“我儿，你不可轻看主的管教，被他责备的时候，也不可灰心。6因为主所爱的，他必管教，又鞭打凡所收纳的儿子。”7你们所忍受的，是神管教你们，待你们如同待儿子。焉有儿子不被父亲管教的呢？
“管教”这个词在希腊语中有教育、训导和培养的意思。管教孩子是父亲的责任。我曾经和爸爸一起在农场工作，对此我有非常美好的回忆。我们的工作很辛苦，特别是在夏天。有时候我真希望自己能生活在城镇，这样就可以和我的朋友每天打棒球了。但和爸爸并肩工作也让我学会了很多东西，因为在我们工作的时候，他总是教导我们一些重要的人生课程。我记得很清楚，其中一个教导就是，如果我们在吃饭前有15分钟的空闲时间，我们就可以找些有用的事情做，比如收拾工具棚。另一个教导，如果你不知道怎么做好一件事情，就请教那些会做的人，因为总有人会知道得比你多。
我们的天父也一直教导我们重要的人生功课。设想一下，如果天父没有在我们人生的道路上设置苦难，我们如何学会坚持和忍耐？如果不是天父让我们明白我们是有限的，我们又如何学会单单信靠耶稣？如果我们没有经历过苦难，我们如何学会去同情怜悯别人？如果这世上每天的生活，就像在夏天每天打棒球，我们又如何心怀对天堂的渴望？“你们所忍受的是神在管教你们，他待你们如同待儿子。”这些话从另一个角度阐释了我们在生活中面对的苦难。
祷告：亲爱的天父，请教导我要忍受艰难困苦，把它们当作你对我仁慈的管教。你总是用今生各样的境遇来教导我们，并培养我成为你亲爱的孩子。即使生活充满苦难，布满阴霾，让我的信心能愈发闪亮。阿们。
Hebrews 12: 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood in your fight against sin. 5 Have you also forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard the Lord’s discipline lightly, and do not become weary of his correction. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves, and he corrects every son he accepts. 7 Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. (EHV)
The Greek word for “discipline” in this section is the word used for educating, teaching or training. It’s what a father should always be doing with his children. I have fond memories of working alongside my father on the farm. We worked hard, especially in the summertime, and sometimes I wished I could live in town and play baseball every day with my friends. But I learned a lot working next to my father, because as we worked, he was always teaching us important life lessons. I remember them well. One was that if we had 15 minutes to spare before lunch, we could find something useful to do, even if it was organizing the tool shed. Another was that if you didn’t know how to accomplish a task, ask someone who does, because there is always someone who knows more than you do.
Our heavenly Father is always teaching us important life lessons. Imagine if our Father never threw any hardships in our way. Where would we learn patience and endurance? Where would we learn to trust in Jesus only, if we weren’t convinced we can’t do it ourselves? Where would we learn compassion for others, if we never experienced hardship? How would we have a longing in our heart for heaven, if life on this earth were only like playing baseball in the summertime every day? “Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons.” Those words shed a different light on the hardships we face in this life. Prayer: Dear Father, teach me to endure hardship and suffering as loving discipline from you. You are always teaching me with the circumstances of this life and training me to be your dear child. Let my faith shine ever more brightly even on those cloudy days when hardship comes into my life. Amen.