Tag: Discipline

Instructions For Daily Living

Hebrews 13:1-8

1 Let brotherly love continue.

2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Father’s Day

Ephesians 6:4

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Fathers, povoke not your children to wrath, by avoiding severity, anger, harshness, and cruelty. Cruel parents generally have bad children. The proper way to discipline is, to correct, and not punish. Punishment is from a principle of revenge, whereas correction is from a principle of affectionate concern. Children are to be nourished with wholesome discipline and instruction, which will bend them toward God, and His way of living.

– Inspired by Finis Jennings Dake

I’m Doing This, Because I Love You

Judges 6:1-16

Can you recall a time, when your parent or guardian advised you of the dangers of making a certain decision, yet you chose to ignore their warning, and made the decision out of ignorance anyway? After you made the mistake, and was left helpless, you cried out to your parent or guardian for help. One would think you would have learned your lesson after this instance, but you would later find yourself in the same cycle over and over. Surprisingly, your parent was always there to pull you out of trouble, and into a safe place. This was the relationship Israel had toward God, unfortunately.

In times of plenty, and being protected from their enemies, Israel would often find themselves doing evil in the sight of the Lord, thus forcing His hand to turn them over to those who would oppress them. While some may think it was harsh and cruel for God to deliver Israel to their enemies, His actions were justified because of their disobedience. If the people were to consistently obey God’s commands, He would bless them, but for their disobedience, they would suffer chastisement.

In our text, the children of Israel suffered greatly, as the Midianites, Amalekites, and the children of the east came against them and destroyed all their crops, so much until nothing was left for them to feed from. Israel was greatly impoverished, and finally realized that God was waiting on their cry for help. God loved His people unconditionally, but when they willingly strayed away from His leading, He had to allow pain and suffering to overtake them, in order to bring them back to right focus.

When we stray too far away from living for God, He won’t allow it to go unnoticed. He loves each and every one of us so much, that He’ll allow a season of pain and suffering, but only to help direct our attention back toward Him. Learn to appreciate hard seasons, because they may be scheduled to help keep your faith rooted in God.

Repent, And Keep Moving

Psalm 51:1-12

When a Saint falls, their number one priority should be to first seek repentance from God, then allow Him to cleanse them from their error. Oftentimes, when we stumble, we tend to care more about the opinions of others, rather than coming before the Lord to seek forgiveness. While those who are the body of Christ should strive to represent holiness at all times to the world, when they veer off track, their first conversation should be with God alone. Man has no power to forgive sin, but God has all power, and He alone can purge, wash, and restore us back to our rightful place in Him. Throughout our lifetime, we will fall short of God’s glory, but because of Jesus, we can approach the Throne of Grace, and have our iniquities washed away.

King David, a man after God’s own heart, was responsible for committing two ungodly acts, that caused much misery and pain in his future. But, rather than blame others, or try to sweep those situations under the rug, the king repented, and sought reconciliation with the One Whom he had transgressed against.

God loves His people, but He hates when we sin. Everytime we submit to sin, we acknowledge that what we allowed to gain our attention, was more important than what God warned us against. For this reason, we should always get convicted when we mess up, because this proves that we are aware of our actions, and aren’t fixed on making sin habitual.

After king David messed up, then repented, he committed the rest of His life to service to God. Never allow your sin and mistakes to cause you to lose faith in God. We are born in sin, and shaped in iniquity, so it’s only natural for our flesh to desire things of the world. But, when we put off the old man, and gird ourselves with the new and improved, God fills us with His Spirit, that helps make avoiding sin a lot more easier, than trying to resist the devil on our own.

We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.

Ell

‘Ain’t Nothing You Can Do About It’

Jeremiah 22:24-30

The single-most greatest creation God brought into existence (next to man) was, the woman. Women are undoubtedly AMAZING creations, and unlike men who are simple-minded and nonchalant most times concerning a thing, women are fascinated with details, and prefer to understand a thing fully, before moving on to another subject. Women even have the mental capacity to multi-task at levels beyond human comprehension. For example, I witnessed my mother raise seven children, and at times she would be holding one child in her arm, have one of us sitting on her lap, while cleaning and making dinner simultaneously! What a gal!

When operating in their “creation role”, and not trying to compete with men, women can actually accomplish things that make tremendous impacts in the world, but there’s one thing that makes women quite unique; when they are fed up, there’s nothing you can do to change their minds. I don’t often quote secular narratives in my writings, but there’s a song written by R. Kelly entitled,  “When A Woman’s Fed Up”. This song sums up the truth, that when a woman is pushed to her limit concerning something, there’s nothing a man can do to influence, or change her thoughts. For this reason, men wisely do their best to keep women smiling and positive in most of their dealings, while trying to avoid pushing the wrong buttons.

Women are beautiful, elegant, and royal creations, but this trait of being fed up, is a characteristic our loving God, and Father shares as well. God has patience beyond our understanding, but when we consistently disobey His Words, while basking in our sin, His patience eventually runs out. God loved king Josiah, and the life he displayed on the earth, but despised the life of his son so much, until He made certain that no offspring of the wicked king Jehoiakim would ever sit on the throne again. Talk about fed up; God didn’t want any trace of evil to have the opportunity to corrupt the mind of anyone else leading His people. Although the eventual king David made a few noticeable mistakes, he never allowed his sin to consume him.

Children of God do sin and error, but they don’t allow their flaws to define who they are. Meditating and studying God’s Word keeps Saints from falling into the same trap over and over, and plants their feet firmly into the will of God. The closer you are to God, the better you’ll understand His will for your life, but the more you choose to trust in broken and despised idols, the more you’ll position yourself to eventually be cut off from God’s favor.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

You Forced My Hand…

Jeremiah 22:20-23

When parents train their children during the early stages of their development, they are in essence, preparing them for life, when they get older. Oftentimes, children aren’t overjoyed when commanded to do those things that may seem unnecessary at first, but as they mature, they’ll eventually discover, all the hard lessons and training from their parents, will prove beneficial during their adult years. The more a child listens and obeys the teachings of their parents, the greater the chances their lives will benefit from a solid foundation of discipline and sound doctrine. Conversely, when children rebel, and assume they can progress through life without proper guidance, they’ll no doubt be in for a rude awakening. The Bible even teaches that when children honor and obey their parents, they’ll live long, and prosperous lives on the earth.

The theme of this lesson stems from the passage in the book of Jeremiah, which contrasted the lives of king Josiah, and his son Jehoiakim.  While it’s ideal for respectable parents to raise children who also turn out respectable as well, there are unfortunate times when the children of good parents stray toward the ungodly path. Have you ever heard the phrase, “preacher’s kids are the worst”? Well, that’s not confirmed in every case, but there is truth in that statement. Typically, leaders are strong, firm, and committed to following God, so the devil tries to get to the leader, through their children. King Josiah raised his family to fear and reverence God, and led the people according to the same standard. But, his son chose to live his own way, and shun those things he was taught from his youth. Unfortunately, Jehoiakim’s rebellion forced the hand of God to bring his riotous living to an abrupt halt.

Can you recall a time when you literally cried while disciplining your child, because you loved them so much, but couldn’t make sense of why they continued to rebel against your teachings? God has no desire to punish His children, but when we deliberately, and consistently disobey His Word, we force His hand to judge us.

Love God, and keep His commandments. This way, you won’t be so easily distracted by the things of this world, and your life will represent the God who gave it purpose.

Keep your chin up.. it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell