Hebrews 12:11
As parents one of the hardest things we have to do is discipline our children. But we do it out of love, to guide and train them into mature adults. The same goes for God. He doesn’t like punishing His children any more than we do. But because He cares, the Lord disciplines us to grow into mature Christians with a deep and lasting faith. God loves us too much to just leave us where we’re at. So He “trains” us, exercising our faith muscles so that no matter what we face, we can do so with unshakable spiritual confidence. The writer of Hebrews uses the Greek word, “gegymnasmenois”, which literally means “vigorous exercise.” Athletes train to produce the endurance needed to win. And God allows trials into our lives for the same reason. To produce an endurance to help us reach the finish line, resulting in a harvest of fruitful righteousness. All for our good, and God’s glory.
