Raising a Child
Are you a parent? How do you correct your children? Do you lead by example? Do you use time-outs? Do you find that on a rare occasion a firmer discipline is necessary?
How about as the children grow up? Does the discipline change over time? Do teens respond to time-outs the same way a six-year-old does? How about adult descendants living in your house (ie: 20 year old college student living at home)?
Like it or not, your precious child will have to be disciplined at some point in time. I've seen kids that are not disciplined, and I'm usually embarassed for the parents. Human beings are, by nature, rebellious. That means we don't want to follow orders - particularly when we think we have a better idea. So, we rebel. My kids are good at that. Even my two-year-old. They must be disciplined. And, they respond differently to different disciplines.
Occasionally, a kid must be spanked. Just a little something to let them know they crossed the line. As they grow older, however, and begin to learn about life, there are other methods that get their attention. Time-out, grounding, removal of priveleges - these are a few of the punishments kids experience as they grow up. When they are adults, the rule is, "If you want to live in my house, you'll follow my rules. You don't like my rules, you find another place to live."
The Bible calls this rebellion a sin nature (Romans 8). When we sin, we are rebelling against God. Sin requires discipline. How, then does God discipline? Why is there the Old Testament punishment (whacking an entire civilization) and New Testament punishment (grace under the Blood of Christ)?
Mankind was born when Adam and Eve were created. Mankind entered toddler years when they chose Satan over God. Mankind needed to be smacked. No longer immortal, they discovered what Paradise really was. They were no longer welcome there. God still took care of them, but He let them experience the fallen world in which we live. Mosquitoes, famine, cold, death.
Mankind began growing up in the fallen world. Always trying new things, by the time Noah was around it was time for discipline. Mankind needed a spanking. God disciplined the world for the sin that was being committed. After Noah, mankind continued to grow. God began to make deals with people like Noah, Abraham and Jacob. They are called 'covenants' in the Bible. These deals said, "Treat me right. Treat me like I'm the Only God ('cuz I am) and I will bless you." There were mistakes - and these mistakes were disciplined in painful ways (read about Ishmael and Dinah).
Still, though God loved His children. God wanted to steer us in the right way. He laid down the Law with Moses. "Live by these rules, and you will be blessed." There were a bunch of people who had not followed God's covenants and they had to be smacked. These people lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. They were the Edomites, the Moabites, the Ammonites and the Canaanites. They had begun to worship other gods. They had begun sacrificing their children to Molech. This was a practice that God said was 'detestable'. They worshipped fertility gods by having temple prostitutes whose job it was to perform lewd acts. This practice was also detestable. The people needed to be spanked.
With Moses, God's reactions to the Israelites began to change. Yeah, some people were smacked, but now they began to feel 'time-outs' when they disobeyed. Oppression by invaders (throughout the book of Judges) and famine were some methods. And mankind continued to grow. God began to warn people against their wicked ways through prophets. He began to let them know that they won't necessarily be smacked unless they absolutely need it. At one point, he grounded the entire population of Judah for 70 years. We call it 'The Exile'.
Finally, mankind grew into adult children. We're the 18-20 year olds living under Mom & Dad's roof. God sent His Son to tell us "If you want to stay in My house, you gotta follow my rules." And the rules were pretty simple. Believe Jesus died for your sins. Accept that. Accept the indwelling Holy Spirit. And listen to Him. Strive to live a life like Jesus would have. Those are the rules. You don't have to be perfect, as mistakes will be made, but you're welcome to stay in His house.
There will come a day when God will punish mankind once again. It is written in Revelation. And at that time, He's either gonna kick you out of His house, or He's gonna let you stay. I think you'll want to stay. That lake of fire doesn't sound like a good beach spot...
How about as the children grow up? Does the discipline change over time? Do teens respond to time-outs the same way a six-year-old does? How about adult descendants living in your house (ie: 20 year old college student living at home)?
Like it or not, your precious child will have to be disciplined at some point in time. I've seen kids that are not disciplined, and I'm usually embarassed for the parents. Human beings are, by nature, rebellious. That means we don't want to follow orders - particularly when we think we have a better idea. So, we rebel. My kids are good at that. Even my two-year-old. They must be disciplined. And, they respond differently to different disciplines.
Occasionally, a kid must be spanked. Just a little something to let them know they crossed the line. As they grow older, however, and begin to learn about life, there are other methods that get their attention. Time-out, grounding, removal of priveleges - these are a few of the punishments kids experience as they grow up. When they are adults, the rule is, "If you want to live in my house, you'll follow my rules. You don't like my rules, you find another place to live."
The Bible calls this rebellion a sin nature (Romans 8). When we sin, we are rebelling against God. Sin requires discipline. How, then does God discipline? Why is there the Old Testament punishment (whacking an entire civilization) and New Testament punishment (grace under the Blood of Christ)?
Mankind was born when Adam and Eve were created. Mankind entered toddler years when they chose Satan over God. Mankind needed to be smacked. No longer immortal, they discovered what Paradise really was. They were no longer welcome there. God still took care of them, but He let them experience the fallen world in which we live. Mosquitoes, famine, cold, death.
Mankind began growing up in the fallen world. Always trying new things, by the time Noah was around it was time for discipline. Mankind needed a spanking. God disciplined the world for the sin that was being committed. After Noah, mankind continued to grow. God began to make deals with people like Noah, Abraham and Jacob. They are called 'covenants' in the Bible. These deals said, "Treat me right. Treat me like I'm the Only God ('cuz I am) and I will bless you." There were mistakes - and these mistakes were disciplined in painful ways (read about Ishmael and Dinah).
Still, though God loved His children. God wanted to steer us in the right way. He laid down the Law with Moses. "Live by these rules, and you will be blessed." There were a bunch of people who had not followed God's covenants and they had to be smacked. These people lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. They were the Edomites, the Moabites, the Ammonites and the Canaanites. They had begun to worship other gods. They had begun sacrificing their children to Molech. This was a practice that God said was 'detestable'. They worshipped fertility gods by having temple prostitutes whose job it was to perform lewd acts. This practice was also detestable. The people needed to be spanked.
With Moses, God's reactions to the Israelites began to change. Yeah, some people were smacked, but now they began to feel 'time-outs' when they disobeyed. Oppression by invaders (throughout the book of Judges) and famine were some methods. And mankind continued to grow. God began to warn people against their wicked ways through prophets. He began to let them know that they won't necessarily be smacked unless they absolutely need it. At one point, he grounded the entire population of Judah for 70 years. We call it 'The Exile'.
Finally, mankind grew into adult children. We're the 18-20 year olds living under Mom & Dad's roof. God sent His Son to tell us "If you want to stay in My house, you gotta follow my rules." And the rules were pretty simple. Believe Jesus died for your sins. Accept that. Accept the indwelling Holy Spirit. And listen to Him. Strive to live a life like Jesus would have. Those are the rules. You don't have to be perfect, as mistakes will be made, but you're welcome to stay in His house.
There will come a day when God will punish mankind once again. It is written in Revelation. And at that time, He's either gonna kick you out of His house, or He's gonna let you stay. I think you'll want to stay. That lake of fire doesn't sound like a good beach spot...
posted by ClayMan at 11:42 PM
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