CHOSEN

Hebrews 12: 1 – 11
There is the old story of the Jewish man who, at a ripe old age, was given a miracle. That miracle was an opportunity to meet with God himself, and ask him 2 questions.
As he stood before the throne of God the man asked his first question; “Is it true that the Jews are your chosen people”?
God immediately replied in a loving tone; “Yes”!
Smiling the man knelt and asked his second question; “Could you choose somebody else for a while”?
Since we made the choice to accept Jesus into our hearts, we have been blessed to be appointed as the children of God. Yet we still struggle daily with sin and hardship. We walked into this relationship with eyes wide open, yet we also fooled ourselves into thinking that when we did, our lives would become pain free.
How easy it is to forget what it is to be in relationship with a kind and loving father who must, from time to time, disciple us for the mistakes we have made, so that we might grow to be better people.

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

One of the things that I complain about is that I am in pain daily with my arthritis. There are times when it is so bad that it wakes me up at night. My wife tells me that she can tell when it's bad because she can hear me moan in my sleep before I wake up. I tell you this not for sympathy, but to illustrate how foolish and weak I can sometimes be.

10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
11 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.

After reading God's word, how can I complain? I have not been disciplined to the point of blood, nor is my pain as great as that endured by Jesus who was God's son.
What I'm trying to say here is that the troubles we go through and the struggles we have against sin are hard to bear up under. Yet it is worth it.