DISCIPLINE IS LOVE = Part 1

Showing a pattern of
God's Love

Discipline for a child [and for us] is a necessity according to scriptures:

Proverbs 10:17
He who heeds discipline shows the way of life,
But whoever ignores correction
leads others astray.

Disciplining a child

is an act of Godly love.

~~~~~~~~~~

It must be done …

· in love
· with great patience
· under control
· with an intention to produce good fruit as a result.
· to show the child the very pattern of God’s love for him/her
· with consistency by both parents
· to build the child’s trust in the parent and eventually in God’s decision
· to set the boundaries for instruction and teaching
· to create respect for all authority [yours, teachers, babysitters, and God’s]

Each time we discipline we must discipline the same way God disciplines us ~ so that we show a loving, caring, patient attitude; one always willing to show mercy and grace – yet firm and just… as God Himself would discipline us.

In any discipline of a child ~ it must be done in love and with great consistency. It must not be done in haste or done without forethought… but it must be done and done in love, if one truly loves the child God has given.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Left undone …
· leaves the door wide open for that child to go astray
· gives the child the upper hand
· leaves the child in charge of his life when he is not yet capable of that end
· sets the pattern of ‘self-willed’ rather than ‘God-willed’
· lets the child rule the house
· leaves open all boundaries the child really longs for
· leaves the child feeling unloved and uncared for

Read that verse one more time in the Amplified version. No matter which way you slice it, ignoring discipline [whether giving it or receiving it] is not God’s way for us or for our children.

Proverbs 10:17 [AMP]
17He who heeds instruction and correction is [not only himself] in the way of life [but also] is a way of life for others. And he who neglects or refuses reproof [not only himself] goes astray [but also] causes to err and is a path toward ruin for others.

What does it speak to you now?
Can you share godly ‘tips’ on discipline that might help others here?

Choosing JOY,

Sowing and Reaping

Elizabeth George, who wrote A Woman After God's Own Heart, has long been one of my favorite authors concerning marriage, motherhood, and [for me] grand-motherhood. Her studies take us to a place which almost seems back in time, you know ~ the June Cleaver era...

June Cleaver: Eddie, would you care to stay for dinner? We're having roast beef. [inclusion of the unlikeable - and she cooks a delicious meal too]

Eddie Haskell: No thank you, Mrs. Cleaver. I really must be getting home. We're having squab this evening. [what his house is really like]

...where it is the wife's/mother's role and duty to make the home a pleasant and loving one. Our own fast-paced society of running children 'to and fro', often living on 'fast food take out', and shamefully neglecting husbands to the brink of divorce, are in dire contrast to God's ways. June Cleaver would be appalled. What about God?

Are your priorities in alignment before God - which many women these days seem to have backwards? I did as well, for a long time in my life. But it's never too late to put those priorities in the right order as God Himself commands in His Word.

"You shall have no other God's before Me" ~ Exodus 20

As wives and mothers and grandmothers our priorities should be in line with His Word:

• GOD [first - and foremost]
• Husband [second - and as God's authority in the Lord]
• Children [third - as God has blessed us]

Today as I turned a page in my calendar reading from Elizabeth George, it was all about sowing and reaping. I pondered its contents and scripture and felt compelled to share it here with you. I have sown some things early on in my life that are reaping great [unfortunate] consequences today... so I come with less than a perfect record.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man [or woman] sows, that will he [she] also reap.

Elizabeth Geore writes: "As I considered the principle of sowing and reaping, I realized that, in a general way, what I put into my children on a daily basis ~~~ the seeds of patience or impatience, faith or lack of faith, kindness or selfishness ~~~ would be what I might gain back in years to come."

After reading that afresh, I thought about the things I had sown in my children back when they were young... and what I am reaping as a result [both in family relations and in spiritual terms].
So I ask myself today, as I ask you here... What are we sowing into our husband's lives, children's lives and even the lives of others in which God has given us a realm of influence? Because I did not always sow the desirable things of God in my past ~ it is my goal now to sow life ~ speaking life into my children, grandchildren, and others around me. If LIFE = Jesus Christ ~ what are you sowing that might reap great benefits for His glory and kingdom purposes?
Are we sowing?

• strife and discord >>>>>>>>>> to later reap havoc
• selfishness of 'me first' >>>>>> to later reap lonely lives
• exclusion of others >>>>>>>>>to later reap ~ us being excluded
• mediocrity >>>>>>>>>>>>>> to later reap discontent & unfulfillment
• unforgiveness >>>>>>>>>>>> to later reap the death of relationships

OR are we sowing?

• kindness and unity >>>>>>> >> to later reap peace and harmony
• unselfishness of others first>>>>to later reap others helping us when we need it most
• inclusion of others>>>>>>>>>> to later reap being included by all
• life giving purpose >>>>>>>>>>to later reap untold blessings of God
• forgiveness >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>to later reap a home in heaven with God

Everything in life and in God's Holy Word has its root in sowing and reaping. What can you share about something you have sown into your children or grandchildren in which you are reaping great blessings even now? Your answer might help someone reading this, to 'sow' what God desires as they ponder what they might 'reap' as a result.

Let us SOW to the glory of God >>> that we may REAP to the glory of God!

Choosing JOY,

SIDE-BY-SIDE COOPERATION

Joshua 1:7-9
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Romans 14:9-11 The Message

That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that He could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
10-11 So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God.

______________________

Visiting Bar Harbor, Maine this past week gave food for thought in the way of instructions and working side-by-side within a group, especially within a family. Just across from Bar Island these one-time-Kayakers were given instruction by the young woman [Instructor] seated in the first picture [above]. She reminded me of Moses, instructing the Israelites, or a Mom instructing her kids about something important. I have never Kayaked myself, but as I eavesdropped on this conversation between the instructor and her 'students', I was amazed at the things she told them.... like: "whatever the person in front of you does - mimic that," and "keep a close eye on the other kayaks and the people beside you and in front of you. They will give you a 'heads up' as to what comes next," and "stick closer than a brother so you won't drift away."

These simple instructions reminded me of the family unit - especially with brothers and sisters. As parents we are to instruct our children in the way of the Lord from His Word. Then it is up to those children to respond in cooperation and obedience. Instructions must be taught. There is no way around that. Without these instructions there would be chaos, possible harm, and disunity. Those instructions would prove beneficial for the entire group of kayakers, as well as in the family unit - and to ALL who follow through in cooperation and obedience.

Choosing JOY,