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The preceding passage from
Hebrews quotes from Proverbs 3:11-12,
comparing God’s correction of
us as His children to human parents
disciplining their children
out of love and concern for them.
These verses teach us several
vital principles regarding discipline.
From them we learn:
(1) God disciplines in love.
(2) Discipline is not
rejection but part of our maturing and growth.
(3) Discipline produces
respect.
(4) Discipline produces good
fruit and righteousness.
The Greek word for
“discipline” in the passage in Hebrews includes
the concepts of education and
training, corrective guidance and corrective punishment. Proper child rearing
involves all of these elements of
training and focuses on the
long-term benefits to the child.
Another biblical principle
that parents should consider when evaluating
methods of discipline is
expressed by the apostle Paul: “Let every soul
be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except
from God, and the authorities
that exist are appointed by God. Therefore
whoever resists the authority
resists the ordinance of God, and those who
resist will bring judgment on
themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). That being
so, parents should understand
that some disciplinary practices mentioned
in the Scriptures may be
restricted by local, state or national laws.
What about hurting their feelings?
Some parents are opposed to
corrective discipline because it hurts
their children’s feelings.
Yet this is what discipline is supposed to do.
Hebrews 12:11 explains that
there is a “painful” aspect to discipline.
Family psychologist John
Rosemond affirms this principle,
saying,
“.
.
. Discipline does not have to
hurt a child physically in order to ‘leave
its mark,’ but it must always
hurt the child’s feelings, otherwise it is
worthless.” Continuing, he
adds, “Without that pain, a conscience will
never form”
(ParentingbyTheBook.com/essay_4.htm). (For additional
understanding regarding
children and discipline, see “Discipline With
Encouragement” on page 72 and
“The Value of Consequences” on page
75 of this booklet.)
Blessing of responsibility
The Bible tells us that
children are wonderful gifts, truly blessings
from God (Psalm 127:3). Yet
they need guidance and instruction. They
each need the special
one-on-one care and teaching that only parents
can give.
Bringing up children from
helpless babes to responsible, moral adults
is perhaps the greatest
responsibility we can have in this life, and it
can bring great rewards. The
blessing for doing so is twofold. First,
children derive all the
benefits from living in a godly home and being
taught God’s ways. Second, we
parents become spiritually mature as we
struggle with ourselves and
the challenges of raising godly children in an
ungodly world.
Being a wise and loving
parent is a challenging responsibility that
helps us prepare for being
part of God’s eternal family. May we and our
children fulfill the
wonderful destiny God has in store for each of us!
Bringing Up a Moral Child
The Bible tells us that
children are wonderful gifts, truly
blessings from God. Yet they
need guidance and instruction.
The Missing Dimension
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