If You Love Your Child! Don't Abuse! Do Discipline!

I was reading our local newspaper today, and there it is on page after page about some violence or vandalism in our country. Sometimes the perpetrator is an older adult, a lot the time it is a teenager or young adult. People say why are we having so much crime in our cities and country. It could be summed up easily by saying our sins and our actions go hand in hand. But that is just part of the problem. You may not like or agree with what I have to say, but I will try to back it up with Scripture.

Let me give you my take on our problems in society. We have as a society tried to take God out of our lives. You might ask how have we taken God out? I will just mention a few of the problems. (1) We don't allow classroom prayer. It might offend somebody. (2) We don't allow the Ten Commandments on public property. It might offend somebody. (3) You can't talk about God to your fellow workers in many of our work places. It might be contrary to what they believe. (4) You can't put up a nativity sceen on public grounds, one or two people might be offended. It's alright if they impose their belief on you, but don't you dare talk about God or show what you believe in public. The list could go on and on. I don't even know all the restrictions that the few have forced on the many. We just sit by and allow these things to happen. We have a few individuals who impose their belief at the expense of the majority of our beliefs.

[Crime]
One solution would be to punish the criminal for the crime. You say we do punish them. Do we really? The punishment should fit the crime. When someone commits willful murder of another person, they should have to pay the price for the crime. Genesis;9:6 (Whoever sheds mans blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.) Pretty severe isn't it? Leviticus;24:17 (Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death.) God tells us that we have to be absolutely positive of their guilt before we can impose the death penalty. Numbers;35:30 (Whoever kills a person,the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.) So in this way God protects the innocent.

[Disobedience]
With our children! We need to discipline them so that they grow up knowing that there is consequences for their actions. First let me say, I don't mean to beat them without mercy, but you do need to spank them. Now you may say I don't agree with you. Proverbs;19:18-20 (Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death. A man of great anger will bear the penalty, For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again. Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.) And again in Proverbs;23:13-14 (Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.) Quote from John MacArthur" The child will survive the punishment and thus avoid an untimely or premature death due to sinful conduct".

It's not easy to disciline our children, because we love them, and we don't want to inflict pain on them. In Hebrews;12:11(All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of rightousness.) God tells us that He disciplines His children. Hebrews;12:6 (For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.) Again in Revelation;3:19 (Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.)

God disciplines us for His purpose. Hebrews;12:9-10 (Futhermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits and live. For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.) So you can see that all discipline is good and we need it.

How do you train your children to obey and do what's right, You discipline them when they do wrong. Most of us have been trained by it and we are here reading this blog. This might not be the only cure for our society, but it is a step in the right direction. Pray and ask for God's direction in dealing with discipline. That way you won't be abusive. Maybe you don't need to spank your child everytime their disobedient, but you do need to discipline them.

God Bless You!