discipline Archives – Sonshine's Journal

June 7, 2024June 7, 2024

Wise or Foolish?

Prov 13 Once again we see the fruit of discipline for one’s person as one’s children. Just as in Psalm 1, it is the wise who are blessed and given honor from the Lord and in contrast is the ones who choose to not are called fools. Over and over the writer encourages the reader to choose wisely lest they fall into the camp of the fools.

Again, you can dress like a homeless person but instead have great wealth but you choose to not take advantage of it. This person is also a fool.

Fools are those who have abundant blessings but choose to act as if they have none. They are fools because they have rejected the discipline of parents and circumstances God has allowed into their life. These are the tests that God presents that we may choose wisely, to reject and not learn from these tests is foolish.

Help me Lord to choose wisely lest I too be called a fool.

April 25, 2022April 25, 2022

The Danger of the Fading Memory

2Chron7 -9 God Speaks to Solomon

When we are on a high celebrating, all goes well, but after the glow, the high fades from memory much like film that has been exposed to the air. Perhaps that is why God came to Solomon the second time to remind him that He is God and there is no other. God came to Solomon as he slept, and that is how God sometimes speaks to us in our deep sleep where other thoughts cannot usurp our devotion to Him. God reminded him that He was the giver of blessings of all things. He was pleased and would bless IF Solomon remained faithful. He was also the “discipliner” (said nine times in Heb 12) of those whom He has called.

We need to be reminded of this principle: God blesses obedience and disciplines disobedience.

March 30, 2022March 30, 2022

Preparing…

1Kings 1-4 A New King!

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Daniel wrote that God removes kings and establishes kings. We see that principle as we begin the book of 1Kings and as the reign of King David is drawing to a close. David’s eldest fourth son, Adonijah, took advantage of his father’s ill health to install himself as king. However, according to the Chronicler of Israel, God had selected Solomon even before he was born. [1Chron 22:9-10] David’s delay nearly cost Israel the rightful heir, and it took a crisis for Bathsheba and Nathan to remind David of his promise to elevate Solomon to the throne.

How do you prepare to leave this lowly earth to join the chorus in heaven? Have you considered what you need to do? Some of us delay, and some even perhaps do not realize the enormity of what we should to prepare others for our departure. We don’t know why David delayed this important decision but often a parent’s love blinds us to their child’s sin. He loved his eldest son but not enough to correct his errant ways. And so, by God’s providence, and through the prophet Nathan, David learns of his deception and sets the wheels in motion for Solomon’s coronation.

We can learn much from this scenario. We must be discerning regarding our errant children. Tough love is often better than being a “yes parent.” Because David did not discipline Adonijah, he would have been a disastrous king, and even though David knew it, he lagged in carrying out his promise to Bathsheba.

Do you have a will and last testament? If not, learn from this story what you should do now!

September 4, 2020

“Street Theater News”

Ezekiel 4-6 In Babylon, the captives had no newspapers or town criers, only miles and miles of desert sand. As the days passed, they wanted answers, but their priests were of no help. They knew God had called Ezekiel to be a prophet, so they came to ask him: Why are we here? What is happening in Jerusalem? When will we go home? Instead of a steady sermonette, God had Ezekiel pantomime the Jerusalem news for 430 days! The message was clear: Where are your idols now? Did they save you?

God is patient, and He had not forgotten them, but they were in sin. Just like a parent, God disciplines those He loves. Before all of this, He had sent them prophets to warn them: do not trust in these idols, they will fail you—but the words fell on deaf ears. Now in the plains outside Babylon, they could see that the idols were gone, rusted, or decayed. Ezekiel’s drama told this one truth:

God loved you yesterday as He does today and will tomorrow, but He also will judge sin. He will use whatever means He considers best so that people might repent.

The question remains: Have you heard God’s message over and over, but you refuse to repent? Do you believe God loves you even as He waits for you to repent?

May 6, 2015

How to Love Thy Neighbor….

Discipline is hard for parents and for children but this keeps both accountable and keeps the family living peacefully with one another. Paul has been acting as the parent to these precious Galatian babes in Christ who are dividing the Galatian church by their childish actions of snapping and arguing and had fallen for the bait of the “Thou Shalt be Circumcised and Obey the Mosaic Law” legalists. Paul asks those who had had not swallowed their bait to take on a mighty task of restoring gently those who were the back biters, devourers and provokers so that the church is once again united in Christ.

However, before they or anyone takes on this task there is are two steps that must be adhered to: “First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” And secondly, be living by the law of Christ which means living out the character of Christ step by step. Both of these require self-examination so as not to be self-deceived and quench and grieve the Holy Spirit. The only thing that mattered was: faith working through love and demonstrating that one is a new creation in Christ. This is how you love your neighbor as yourself.

Are we mature enough in the Lord to do this? This can only happen by immersing oneself in the Word, meditating upon it so you can discern truth from error. Only then can one bear the burdens another carries.

You can also read this here: https://www.facebook.com/bible.org

September 15, 2013

1Cor 5 “Teachable Moment of Time Out!”

Once a parent always a parent. Can you recall long ago when our fathers/mothers disciplined us saying: this hurts me more than you? Now in the role of a parent you see the wisdom of that statement. Parenting skills never go away even when your children are adults. Paul took seriously his role as a parent to the fledgling church in Corinth. “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” [1Cor 4:15] and in that role knew that there would come times when as a parent, one must discipline.

How does a parent lovingly discipline? As Paul wrote to Timothy in another letter, he gave us the wisdom of what the Word lovingly does and we can apply that same principle to parenting: “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”[2Tim 3:16]. We are to teach our children, reprove/rebuke them, correct their faulty thinking and behaviors, and train them up “Prov 22:6 Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

When you were naughty did you often anticipate the parent’s return with dread or did you go on with no thought of what lay ahead? That is part of the picture Paul is painting for us as he reminded them that just because he was absent physically he was there in spirit. Jesus too as our head is not with us physically but is with us in Spirit “And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” Paul gently asked them: “Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love and a spirit of gentleness?” If Jesus were to return right now which of these might we want him to administer?

The Corinthian church had a serious problem. One congregant was co-habiting with his father’s wife. As a church they had failed to discipline this man and in fact were accepting it and were proud. Why were they not sorrowing over this serious sin? Why had they not administered discipline? Paul says this is so serious that not even the Gentiles would think of doing this. What were they thinking of?

Paul then lovingly corrects their faulty thinking/behavior. This sin will infect the entire church just as yeast infects the dough. Remove this evil person from among you! You as a parent might have done it this way: go to your room to think about it. Isolate the child. For the Corinthians isolation of this man with no participation in the Lord’s Table, no fellowship with individuals, no small groups of believers is Paul’s counsel with the hope that he will reflect on his sin. Further, it is hoped that he will see how it is affecting the whole body and return to the fellowship renewed in spirit, pure in spirit and behavior and willingness to obey. As a parent or a teacher you have probably administered this same “time out” and seen the effectiveness of isolation.

So how do we apply this today? (1) Lifestyle: keep oneself unstained by the world. (2) Follow the steps of 2Tim: Teach, rebuke, correct, train both in the home and in the church, (3) Consider that Jesus may return at any moment. Is there any sin within you or the church that needs attention? Remove the evil among you and be ye cleansed. Be ye holy as I am holy saith the Lord. (4) Follow the discipline principles of Matt 18 (one on one, two on one, bring to church). (5) Because you love you will: never give up. And care more for others than for yourself. [1Cor 13 MSG]

June 20, 2013

Gardening 101 Skills

I love to garden, and daily I find I am out there weeding. It is a never ending occupation in the summer months here in Georgia. But, I am thankful that my garden is flourishing because I know that my efforts are paying off. Yes, gardens need tending and weeds, which are remarkable for their tenacity, must be removed so that the productive plants can flourish. We can remove them by digging in the earth or apply the discipline of poisons to destroy. The problem with the latter is that often the good plants suffer as well. But if we are wise we will tend the garden with the tenacity of the weeds so our gardens are pure. There are four weeds the author of Hebrews notes in chapter 12 that must be eradicated so that we can persevere to the very end.

The Drifter Weed (Ch 2 and Ch 12:12 & 13) This is the believer who is weak and lame. He/She drifts into the path and robs the good plants of sunlight. The solution has already been given in Heb 3:13 “exhort one another daily.” It must be an ongoing process to eliminate this weed.

The Bitter Weed (12:15) It looks like the real thing but if tasted it is bitter and causes trouble. The solution? Heb 12:2 keep our eyes on the one who ran the race with excellence: Jesus Christ. Rom 12: 1-2 Do not be conformed to this world!

The Fornicator Weed (vs 16) This is the weed of immorality. Solution: Heb 10:22 Check your heart. Is it sincere?

The Godless Weed (vs16) This is the weed of Esau, who sold his birthright. If not eradicated quickly their roots become entrenched and are removed only with much effort. This weed can and will destroy.

There is a nursery rhyme that goes:

Mary, Mary, quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

And pretty maids all in a row.

So is our garden blossoming or filled with weeds?