Read Together: Hebrews 12:5–17

Why does the Lord discipline his children? Because he loves us. He loves us, and he disciplines us for our good. And the good for which God disciplines us is that we might share his holiness (v. 10). We need to remember that what is best for us is not going our own way but going God’s way. God’s discipline is meant to be a course-correction for his children, and it all stems from his love for us.

The same goes for our life together in our church community. Together, we pursue peace and holiness (v. 14). Which means we look out for each other (v. 15). In love and a desire for peace, we watch out for sin creeping into each other’s lives and confront it in love. Like the Lord’s discipline, the goal of true church discipline is repentance and restoration. Striving for peace and holiness is not something we do in isolation. It is a community endeavor.

Discussion Questions

1.    Why is sharing in God’s holiness what is best for us?

2.    What are some examples of loving discipline you’ve seen or experienced?

3.    How are pursuing peace and pursuing holiness connected in the life of our church community?

Ideas for Younger Kids

• Read Proverbs 3:11–12 with your children. Discuss with them what “discipline” means. It is when someone in authority over us corrects us so we can learn the right way to live. Also discuss that behind discipline is love. God corrects us because he loves us, like a father loves his children. Sometimes this correction hurts, and we don’t like it. But it is what is best for us, and we learn through it.

Memorization: “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11–12)

Song: Listen to “Come Ye Sinners” (The Worship Initiative).

Pray Together

Focus your prayer time together on the following areas:

• Praise the Lord that he is our Father who loves us and seeks what is best for us.
• Confess before God that we are tempted to despise his discipline and the correction of others. We are proud and don’t like correction and miss the love in God’s discipline and the correction of others.
• Pray that God would help you see God’s discipline as aiming for our good, sharing in his holiness.  
• Pray for our church community that we would pursue peace and holiness together in love and humility.

Go Together

• Take some time to think about and discuss your general attitude towards discipline and correction. Ask yourselves: Are we willing to receive God’s discipline and the correction of others as what is best for us? When we confront someone about their sin, do we do it in love aiming for restored peace and holiness? Before we can receive discipline well and confront others living in sin, we must assess the attitudes of our heart. Our attitude must be humble, our motive must be love, and our aim should be peace and holiness.