Obedience Through Suffering

It is learning the hard way.  If it hurts enough, you'll know better than to do it again.  Just like discipline.  Learning obedience through suffering, I guess, is discipline.  Although, in this passage of Hebrews the author speaks of Jesus' obedience and suffering, and Jesus never had to be disciplined for His sin, but took a terrible suffering for ours.

Obedience through suffering.  It is how God teaches.  Where Jesus faces the same temptations that we do, he prevailed, but I seem to fail over and over and God instructs and disciplines me through it.  It may be something small, the equivalent to a little smack on the hand and it may be much bigger.  We all need to learn, to be disciplined.  If only I learned a little bit quicker.  If only once were enough.  It is just so easy to give in and deal with the rest later.  That is, until later comes and you're stuck dealing with it even if 'it' is just a heavy conscience for knowing you were wrong.

That is where time with God helps.  You come to recognize what He is telling you a bit easier.  Those Bible verses you read last week pop into your head and give you the wisdom you need to out-smart the situation, or maybe just make the smart decision.  Oh, how often all it comes down to is spending time with Him.  What an easy answer, but why do I have to make it so hard?

Father, I thank you that you discipline me to teach me your ways.  I pray that I would listen to your Word and thirst for it every day so that I learn obedience.  Help me see how stubborn I can be and trust in the fact that you always know best and have a plan in place to prosper me.