Discipline

As my 3 yrs old daughter, Reese, and I were packing lunches for the boys, yesterday, she decided to tell me that she is going to like spankings now. As the reader, you might not have the slightest inkling of why she would say that. As her mom, who has the great honor and privilege of being with her all the time and who is seeking to train her in God's ways countless times throughout the day, I knew exactly what she was talking about. When I discipline my children I teach them to come back to me and say, "thank you." This has not been easy for Reese, as you can probably understand. Who wants to thank their mom for giving them a swat on their bum or makes them sit in the "check your heart" chair? You may wonder why I would even teach my children to do that. Well, let me share with you what I understand from Scripture. Ready to "tremble"?....Isaiah 66

"Blessed is the man you discipline, o Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble." Psalm 94:12 &13

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline." Revelation 3:19

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, BECAUSE THE LORD DISCIPLINES THOSE HE LOVES, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son......We have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. (THANKS DAD & MOM TOO! I DO HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR YOU.) How much more should we submit to THE FATHER OF OUR SPIRITS AND LIVE! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us FOR OUR GOOD, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and PEACE for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:5-11

"Fools despise wisdom and discipline." Prov. 1:7

"At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say,'How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly." Prov. 5:11-14

"He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly." Prov.5:23

"He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is CAREFUL to discipline him." Prov. 13:24

"He who ignores discipline despises himself." Prov. 15:32

"Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death." Prov. 19:18

"Don't withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and SAVE HIS SOUL FROM DEATH." Prov. 23:13 & 14

"Discipline your son, and he will give you PEACE, he will bring DELIGHT to your soul."
Prov. 29:17

Do you see it? Can you hear it? The depth of the love of God jumps out from the pages of Scripture. His desire for us to know peace, to have an abundant life, to be a delight to those around us, to have hope, and to have no regrets is bursting forth. HE LOVES US! HE LOVES US! HE LOVES US!

So before I discipline my precious little "rewards" ("Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3) I ask them, "Am I disciplining you because I love you or because I hate you?" Their first response is often, "BECAUSE YOU HATE ME," to which I seek to gently respond with, "I know it may seem that way. The TRUTH, however, is that I love you sooooooooo much. If I did NOT discipline you I would hate you. If I left you to yourself, according to God's word, you would be a "disgrace"(Prov. 29:15). You don't really want me to just let you get away with anything, become a brat and have noone enjoy your company, do you? So I know it may feel like I don't love you right now, but that is not what is TRUE. The truth is, I love you soooooooo much, I HAVE to discipline you. So when you are ready, I want you to thank me for taking the time to "save your soul", to help you become "delightful" and experience PEACE. I am doing something VERY BENEFICIAL FOR YOU."

If you are a parent, may I encourage you to engage fully in the disciplining process. May I encourage you to study God's word to know how to do that better. Disciplining in anger IS NOT GOOD! May I encourage you to keep up the good work!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest IF we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

To those of you who are not yet parents, may I encourage you to submit to the discipline of the "Father of your spirit." He is very involved in your life. Perhaps life is very painful for you right now. Could it be that you are being disciplined by the One who loves you more than you or I could ever imagine?

"Before I was afflicted, I went astray, BUT NOW I obey your word.....It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." Psalm 119: 67 &71

Could it be that the affliction you are experiencing right now is meant to teach you that you are not living God's way. Might He be drawing you into His word so that you may learn his decrees and obey them so that you may know PEACE. If that is the case, PLEASE, DO NOT HATE HIS CORRECTION! LISTEN TO HIM. CHANGE YOUR WAYS. HE LOVES YOU! Don't you forget to THANK HIM for doing what is best for you in the end. You don't neccessarily have to "like spankings" like Reese, but rather like the fact that your Father in Heaven loves you enough to discipline you. Blessings from Bombadil. May your soul be watered and may you water another's soul. Kristy Joy Link

p.s. Please know- I have failed at times/often. There have been times I should have disciplined and didn't or didn't do it the way I should. I am often tempted to spurn God's correction and my father's when I was younger (just ask my dad) The Important thing is to keep going. Don't give up. Know God's words, seek to put them into pracitce (His word is a sword to engage in the battle) and when you fail- seek forgiveness and don't ever give up!