HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 100
page A98
Discipline continued
• J E R E MI A H 3 1 :1 8 | “I have heard Israel saying, ‘You disciplined me severely, like a calf
that needs training for the yoke. . . . Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are
the Lord my God.’ ”
When you deserve it.
• I SA I A H 3 8 :1 6 | Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my
health and allow me to live!
When you need restoration.
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 1 1 :3 2 | Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so
that we will not be condemned along with the world.
To keep you from being condemned.
How should I discipline my children?
• PR O V E R B S 1 3 :2 4 | Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.
With love. Discipline is about relationships, not rules. It is about safety, not retaliation.
Your goal is not revenge, but restoration, not to taunt, but to teach and redeem trust.
• PR O V E R B S 1 9 :1 8 | Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin
their lives.
D
When they need it—before it is too late. Proper discipline puts your children back on the
right path. If children wander off the path, it’s much easier to find the path again if they’re
just a few feet from it. But if they’ve gone far off the path, it’s very difficult to find the way
back. They are in danger of being hopelessly lost.
HelpFinder
• E PH E S I A NS 6 :4 | Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.
Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Never in anger. It is difficult to make a good decision when you are consumed by anger.
Your emotions are driving your thinking. Discipline given in anger is too often spiteful and
harsh. It will too often shame a child rather than restore him or her.
• C O L O S S I A NS 3 :2 1 | Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become
discouraged.
Without causing aggravation and discouragement. Discipline will bring conflict and your
kids probably will get mad at you. But aggravation is caused by constant nagging that
says they are never good enough. It attacks their sense of value and worth instead of
focusing on the immediate problem at hand.
• H E B R E W S 1 2 :1 0 | For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best
they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his
holiness.
With godly wisdom. All parents will make some mistakes when disciplining their children.
Since God’s discipline is always best, we need to constantly seek his wisdom. Remember,
God’s wisdom comes from his Word, but it also comes from godly people who have been
in his Word and practiced discipline.
How do I know if my discipline is too much, if I am being too harsh?
• C O L O S S I A NS 3 :2 1 | Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become
discouraged. (See note on page 1081.)
• E PH E S I A NS 6 :4 | Do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.
Misdirected discipline will create undesirable behavior. To discipline harshly may produce
a harsh response. A child may rebel or may simply give up.
Could my troubles actually be God disciplining me?
• PR O V E R B S 3 :1 1 -1 2 | My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline. . . . For the Lord corrects
those he loves.
• Z E P H A NI A H 3 :2 | No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in
the Lord or draw near to its God. (See note on page 838.)