What is it that makes you feel secure? How do you define love?
Children know that a direct correlation exists between discipline and love. They know the best way to say I love you is to give discipline for errant behavior.
A mother was busy cooking dinner when her young daughter pulled on her pants.
“Mommy, I hit Molly.”
“Okay sweetie, Mommy’s cooking dinner now,” came the reply.
“But , Mommy I hit Molly.”
“Well that’s nice honey. What did you need? “
Finally a third attempt caught her mother’s attention.
“But Mommy, I hit Molly. I need to be punished?”
What was Molly after? What was her mother not giving her that she needed to remind her three times that she had hit her friend? What kept the mother from giving her daughter the love she wanted and craved? How do you define love? How do you define discipline? Are they the same?
I know that parents are busy and distracted. But discipline teaches much more than good behavior. Discipline is a form of love that helps build bridges of communication between parents and children. Which would you choose, to be ignored and receive no discipline or to receive discipline and know that you are loved? Discipline helps guide us. It helps us know that someone cares enough about us to keep us safe, to bring security to our chaotic world.
Words and Phrases
Vs 1 except ye shall repent – repent is another way of saying come back to me. Come find the love I have for you. Accept the punishment for your mistakes and use it to help you improve your life.
Vs 3 hath he chastened them because he loves them – Show me a happy child and I will show you a structure of discipline. Why? Because the child does not have to worry about what is wrong or right. The structure acts as a sure guide. If they choose wrong they will suffer the consequences that loving parents have put in place to keep them from hurting themselves.
Vs 5 they do walk circumspectly before God – this means they walk around God carefully considering their actions, their words, their deeds, their behavior. They walk with measured steps.
– faith brings a new beginning. New hope, new heart. Faith helps us renew our lives with strength from God.
Vs 9 they fear to sin – buried their weapons of war. Set in place a plan to keep themselves from ever finding themselves in sin or (separated from their God).
Vs 10 because of their firmness – they are able to stay their course..
Vs 11 dwindle in unbelief – Why do we dwindle in unbelief.. because when we don’t believe we don’t have a plan.. and we hang around. We dwindle… When we believe.. we have a plan. We have a goal. We have action and a course.
Vs 12 the Lord shall be merciful to them – whenever we give heed to the Lord’s discipline we are understanding his mercy
Vs 13 be numbered among his sheep - when we are of his sheep, we are assured his love. We are assured his security, his protection, his plan, his structure for our life.
No comments:
Post a Comment