The God Type of Spanking

As the oldest child of six kids, spankings were a regular part of our lives. These spankings could range from mild to extreme depending on what we did. While I didn’t enjoy them at all, I can fairly attribute my staying out of trouble because of the fear of paying the price. I never understood as a child and later as an adult how people resist some form of discipline with their children.

Disciplining children is a part of teaching them right from wrong. It should never to be too little or too much. Too little discipline raises kids who think they can do no wrong, and too much discipline robs a child of knowing how to overcome their faults. We can find true discipline from God, for He regularly disciplines those He loves.

God’s discipline can come from a variety of ways for us, depending on what we’ve done or what we’ve refused to do. When Jonah decided he wasn’t going to Nineveh, God had him swallowed up by a whale. That seems pretty extreme except when we realize that an entire city repented and turned to God because of Jonah’s preaching. When Moses decided to hit the rock instead of speaking to it, he wasn’t allowed into the Promised Land. Again, we could assume it was a little over the top until we get a greater understanding of the Rock of Christ and the living water that He provides for us.

God doesn’t discipline us out of a selfish motive for seeing us squirm. Rather, He disciplines us so that we can change and live better lives than if He pretended we were okay. God’s discipline seems hard in the moment; however, it works a greater benefit in our lives for the long term.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I know that You discipline out of love. Help me to yield to Your discipline and walk in righteousness so that Your plan for my life will be fulfilled. Amen.

In His Service,

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