The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 13:24 (day six)

According to Solomon, discipline is the opposite of rejection and abandonment. Parents who do not discipline their children have effectively rejected them. That’s why discipline is considered loving: a parent engages their child in the moments they need them most; they draw near to them.

Discipline, when done responsively, thoughtfully, and purposefully, is the epitome of care and vulnerability.

There is no greater example of this kind of care than our heavenly Father. In our most unlovely moments, he does not turn away from us, he draws near.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 13:24 (day five)

To me, one of the hardest parts about parental discipline is that it is hard and slow work. After discipline is needed and given, I cannot expect my kids to be changed overnight or immediately after a time of discipline and correction. Chances are, there will be more conversations and times of discipline that follow up on the initial moments that follow wrongdoing because our kids (all of us) are prone to sin and selfish behavior. It takes constant vigilance, work, correcting, disciplining, etc. to lovingly and purposefully guide our kids to be who God calls them to be and act how God has called them to act.

But it is necessary. Often, it is tempting to take the easy way out and let things go. Essentially, we are saying that is easier for me to let things go because I don’t want to do it (because we are prone to sin and selfish behavior!). But it is in this grind-it-out, long-term-goal-in-mind where we need to keep steady.

In our personal walk with the Lord, we require daily reminders to follow Him and to do what is righteous in the sight of the Lord. We typically do not change overnight and then consistently follow Him in all we do. The Lord lovingly and purposefully guides us. This is not a “check that box of discipline” off time, but a process of being molded and shaped into who God calls us to be.

It is the same for our kids. Through proper discipline, we are helping our kids know what God has called them to do and who He has called them to be. Parents, do you love your kids? Then keep after it. There is a battle much deeper going on.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 13:24 (day four)

I am not a parent, but I am the child of parents who disciplined me. There were times (many times, actually) when I received discipline because it was needed. I hadn’t done the right thing and needed to be corrected. I wasn’t behaving in a way that honored God or respected others. Often, when I was being honest with myself, I knew I had done the wrong thing. While I would have never admitted it to them, I knew my parents were right to discipline me. In these moments, I experienced discipline out of love.

There were other, fewer, times that I experienced discipline out of a different motivation. Sometimes my parents were upset with each other, and by proxy this led them to be upset and harsh with me. Sometimes my parents had difficulty processing their own emotions and childhood traumas, which made them deal poorly with mine. A child can receive unhelpful discipline in the wake of a parent’s bad day. Children are perceptive, though. While I didn’t have words at the time to express it, I knew these moments of discipline were out of a poorer motivation.

Godly discipline requires us to examine our motivation. Are we modeling our discipline after the Lord’s so that our children may, “share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10)? When we engage in discipline with them, is it in an effort to make them look more like Christ? I know that when I become a parent, I will fail in this way many times. There will be moments when my flesh takes over and the discipline becomes more about me than about God. Here is a regular opportunity to say, “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30).

 

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 13:24 (day

“He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

Disciplining children can be terrifying — not because you might be ineffective, but because you might be more effective than you could ever have imagined. What children learn about who they are through what is allowed or disallowed will stay with them and shape them as their years unfold. What do I have to do to gain the approval of people I love? Does my voice matter? Who can I go to for soothing when I am tormented by guilt and fear? Who can I trust? Discipline includes punishment but is not limited to it. Parents will build trust when they acknowledge to children that being a child who needs to learn about life is not a punishable offense — that learning what’s right isn’t easy.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 13:24 (day two) He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Correcting someone can be difficult, especially if you are close to them. But the truth of this scripture bears out time and time again; we don’t do people any favors by not correcting actions, decision, or behavior that are contrary to what is good and true. The temporary discomfort caused by having to redirect or correct someone pales in comparison to allowing behaviors to go unchecked only to blow up somewhere down the line.

 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 righteousness. Hebrews 12:11

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 9:1-18 (day seven)

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,
Reprove a wise man and he will love you. vs 8

What comes out of you when you are squeezed? How do you handle critique and confrontation?

We are all sponges. We are constantly taking in new things and absorbing information. We can be very good at hiding what we absorbed, but once we are squeezed, what is inside will come out. If you find yourself getting defensive and angry when approached with critique, it is possible your sponge has been soaking in a pot of dirty water. If you want to be able to handle critique and confrontation well, you need to be absorbing the right things. That begins with Jesus. On the cross looking down at his scoffers, He cries out, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” When Jesus was squeezed, love came out.

How can you absorb more of Jesus this week so that He will be what comes out when you are squeezed?

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 9:1-18 (day six)

Wisdom is personal, which is why Solomon describes it as a person. It is part of God’s eternal nature and woven into the very fabric of creation. Therefore, it is not up for grabs or debate.

To reject wisdom is to reject God himself, a choice that carries significant consequences.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. -Paul, Romans 1:21-22

You know that, of course. Our struggle isn’t knowing; it is consistently doing. That’s precisely why we need Jesus, the Wisdom of God. Be thankful today.

 

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 9:1-18 (day five)  When you think about the banquet spoken of in the first few verses of chapter 9, can you picture others at the table and in the room with you?  It describes community. At the banquet there is conversation and interaction- instruction, encouragement, confrontation, correction. All are necessary. All are invaluable. All require humility and honesty. Where do those kind of interpersonal relationships begin and come from?  Answer- A relationship with the Lord (fear of the Lord, trust in the Lord, loving the Lord and His commands) creates a humility and hunger for wisdom (among other things) that can only be found first in our relationship with Him, and then in our relationships with other believers. A lack of wisdom is not a character flaw, it is a spiritual problem.

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 9:1-18 (day four)

I love that the invitation to wisdom is open to all. There’s not a screening to prove your aptitude. Wisdom calls openly, allowing all who are confused, naive, or struggling to freely enter. This reminds me of the words of Jesus saying to the crowd, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Wisdom, the very Spirit of God, calls openly for all to enter, all to gain insight, all to find rest. No application necessary.

However, this same proverb does show us one of the ways we know if we’re growing in wisdom. It shows us where the rubber meets the road, if you will. It tells us that those who are wise will receive correction gladly. A wise person will love the one who rebukes them, because it allows them to grow in wisdom all the more.

How well do you take rebuke? How do you handle it when you receive correction? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not great at it – I become defensive and put my hands over my ears. This is the first sign that I still have much growing to do when it comes to wisdom. The wise are teachable, and teachability requires humility. Are you willing to walk humbly with God and others? It’s the first step to growing in wisdom.