Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 19:16-20
Prov 19:16-20
16 Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die. 17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. 18 Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death. 19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again. 20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
Eph 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Discipline means to train. At times it includes punishment, but it also includes positive training. To properly train a child one has to give instruction. But this is useless if there are no consequences for ignoring the instructions. Accountability for actions is a vital part of discipline. When a child does wrong and the parents “deliver him” they set a pattern that avoids responsibility and more problems.
None of us are entitled to anything and the sooner a child learns this, the quicker they will grow up as responsible adults. This is grounded in the concept of authority. God is the ultimate authority. Parents are delegated authority by him, but they must exercise it over their children. There are civil authorities, from the highest government officials down to the teacher in the classroom. To discipline means we teach them to respect this authority or reap the consequences.
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Jesus told a parable about the judgment day and the basis of judgment was how much each individual had served others and helped those in need. He said that “as much as you did it for these, you did it to me”. Jesus also said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. God has loaned us what we have, and he wants us to use it to help others who are in need. We are to manage what we have wisely, but this does not justify being greedy. Greed is idolatry. When we measure everything by how much it costs, we probably have a greed problem.
O Lord God, keep me from being greedy or stingy and help me have a giving heart and a willingness to help those in need. I know that all I have comes from you and it is not my own, so help me to want to use it to your glory. Don’t let me ever forget that Jesus gave himself for me, even when I did not deserve anything but punishment from you. Thank you for your love for me and your forgiveness. Use me to be an encourager to others. I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
