INTRODUCTION
God is love, John says, and that love is manifested in history through the Father’s love for the Son, a love expressed in the gift of the Spirit. That eternal familial love of Father and Son in the Spirit is the source and model of all human love.

THE TEXT
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith . . . .” (Hebrews 12:1-13).

JESUS THE SON
Hebrews was written to people who were tempted to fall back into Judaism because of the pressure of persecution. The previous chapter reminds us of the persevering faith of Old Covenant saints, who persevered in hope of what we have received through Jesus. Surrounded by this cloud of witnesses, we should not fall back but run with endurance (v. 1). Jesus is the example for us, as He endured shame because of what He hoped for (v. 2). The author slides from talking about the opposition to Jesus (v. 3) to talking about discipline (vv. 5-6), implying that Jesus is the great illustration of the Son disciplined by a loving Father.

The author is talking about our heavenly Father’s discipline of us, but he quotes from a passage in Proverbs having to do with human fathers (Proverbs 3:11-12), and he goes on to describe the Father’s discipline by reference to the discipline of earthly fathers (vv. 8-11). He reiterates what the Proverbs already teach, that parental discipline is an act of love. Notice that it’s specifically the father who is called to discipline. Don’t leave the discipline to Mom.

OUT OF LOVE
Love is the motivation for our parental discipline. That is, we love our children enough to train them, with word and rod, to avoid folly, because folly is sinful and deadly. Discipline must be out of love in another sense as well: To be effective, discipline must take place in the context of affection, gentleness, kindness, joy and laughter. If we don’t show any affection for our kids, then our corporeal discipline will feel like abuse to them. And to set the proper context for our discipline, we need to take the time to get to know them; we need to display our affection for them in tangible ways.

WITH LOVE
Our discipline must also be accompanied by love. That is, our verbal and corporeal discipline must be done patiently and kindly, not angrily or annoyance or “getting to the end of my rope.” Discipline must be firm, but when it should display all the qualities that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13.

TOWARD LOVE
Our goal in disciplining our kids is to cultivate love, for God, for others, for parents. When that is not the result, something is amiss. It could be that something is wrong with the way you discipline, or with the atmosphere of the home in which discipline takes place. It could be a rebellious spirit in your son. If your children respond to your discipline with resentment and surliness, that attitude needs to be addressed.