Discipline is
one of those words that cause everyone to groan—inwardly, if not out loud. There
are many verses about discipline. Here are a few that I find encouraging:
·
Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves (corrects), so
do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. Job 5:17
·
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who
hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1
·
He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he
who listens to reproof acquires understanding. Proverbs 15:32
·
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you
may be wise the rest of your days. Proverbs 19:20
·
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the
rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Proverbs 22:15
·
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
·
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but
of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
·
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with
you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
... All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to
those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness. Hebrews 12:7,
11
·
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline;
therefore be zealous and repent. Revelation 3:19
·
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure
heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5
The message I
get from these verses it to accept discipline from the Lord. He loves those He disciplines. The rewards of
good discipline are wisdom and knowledge…and discipline is essential in raising
children with Godly character. According to Barbara Bush in her book “A Woman’s
Workshop on Mastering Motherhood,” it is parents’ responsibility to train their
children in Christian character traits so that they can one day become
self-disciplined. That is a tall order,
but it is achievable. Just look at the Christians around you who are
self-controlled. They didn’t get that way without some training—some
discipline. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. See Galatians
5:22-23.
Training Tip – Do your children know what you expect of them when
you are at home, school, shopping, visiting friend’s or relatives’ homes,
restaurants, church, the city park, or wherever? Do you yell at them when they
misbehave? But have they been instructed on how to “behave” and the
consequences of misbehavior? Consistent discipline includes some training or
teaching. If you haven’t ever done any behavior training, then make a list and
start today. If the children are really young you may want to do some role
playing with their dolls to give them instruction.
Once you have
let them know what is expected of them comes the hard part—you must
consistently hold them to those expectations and follow through with discipline
“punishment” that is appropriate for the unmet expectations. Prayer is
essential—before, during, and after discipline.
Lord –Help me, my family and friends to accept Your
discipline in our lives. Thank you for loving us so much that You do discipline
us…and expect us to discipline our children and grandchildren that we might
become more like our Lord and Savior Jesus—holy.
Friday’s Feast at the
Lord’s Table
Isaac’s
favorite food, like many 4 year-olds, is spaghetti.
So here is
his recipe.
Get some raw
meat and cook it. Put sauce in it with seasonings—I don’t know what—just some
good stuff. Buy the sauce from the store. It has tomatoes in it. Put it in a
pan to cook it.
The noodles
that are long ones are the best. Cook them—but not in the same pan as the sauce.
Put the sauce
on the noodles. Eat it with the sauce and sprinkle some cheese on it, too.
Eat it with a
fork.
You don’t
have to have anything else to eat with the spaghetti for supper, but
strawberries are good for dessert.
Happy 4th Birthday, Isaac.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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