Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 13:21-25
Prov 13:21-25
Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
Col 3:20-21
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Every child needs to be disciplined. This word means to be trained. At times it involves rewards for good behavior, at other times it means punishment for bad behavior. Punishment may mean taking away something, or it may mean something that is done that is unpleasant, which may be time out, or spanking or something else. But every child is different, and every situation is different so there is no “one size fits all” in administering this discipline.
As mentioned in the Proverb above, there are times that the rod needs to be applied as a form of discipline. But spanking is a form of training and must never be an outlet for frustration or anger by the one doing it. It is to be an act of love to help the child learn acceptable behavior. It is my belief that spanking a child should only be done when they have defied parental authority. This means they must be old enough to understand what they are doing (or not doing).
As parents train a child, it starts with instruction about God and Jesus. The goal is to teach them respect for the authority of their parents and then that of God. It is God who determines what behavior is right and what is wrong. Laughing at bad behavior teaches them to continue doing it and belittles respect. Tolerating bad behavior today and then punishing it tomorrow only confuses the child and leads to more bad behavior. Consistency is vital to proper training. But most of all, our example will have more influence on them than all we say or do to them. We must show them that we love them and only want what is best for them, always!
O Lord God, give your children who are parents the wisdom to train their children to love you, respect you, and serve you. Keep them from being abusive. Keep them from being overly tolerant and from ignoring bad behavior. Help them know how to best handle each individual child according to their personality and needs. Thank you for my family and I ask you to keep each of us safe and healthy so that we can be used in your service. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
