Proverbs - Disciplining Your Children and Teens

Proverbs 19:18

Chasten thy son while there is hope,

and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

To discipline our children is to love them.  We must not listen to their responses and change the course of our decisions because of their crying or complaining.  There is hope for our children while we have the opportunity to guide and order the standards by which they live up to.  We must take full advantage of this and make decisions based on prayerful consideration of what the Lord is leading us to do to train them in the way that they should go.  We must not change course because of their whining or how difficult it may be for us to keep them on this path.  God has put us in charge and all authority has been given by God.   We will lead them in ways they will not naturally choose and this is the way it is supposed to be.  If they knew what they were to do, God would not have given parental authority.  Stand strong, young mother and endure the crying of your child if you know you are implementing good discipline to produce character.  Stand strong, mother of that teen, and remember your time of parental guidance is coming to a close, use this time to lift up the standard in love and don’t grow weary of their reasoning and resistance.  Our soul must be guarded from the responses of our children so that we don’t give up on what the Lord has told us to do.  Let us chasten our children while there is hope and realize that they will thank us when they are older.

Proverbs - It is Wise to Help the Poor

Proverbs 19:17

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

With all of the reasoning in our society as to how people may end up with a lack of finances we can lose our heart of compassion.  Sure, there is a time to help fix the root of a problem, but there is time to care for the immediate need.  Our hearts should be tender to the needs of others.  When we see a need, we should hope that our hearts are moved with compassion and that we would be open as to how we could be part of His plan for meeting it.  When we have financial problems one of the best things we can do is to give to someone who is in more need than ourselves.  The Lord will pay us according to this verse.  It seems like a strange solution but one that our Maker has established.  The Lord tells us regarding looking out for the poor:

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. (Ps 41:1-3) KJV

Here we see that when we consider the poor and their needs, the Lord will deliver us, preserve us, bless us, keep us alive, protect us from our enemies, strengthen us and help us when we are sick.  How wonderful this is!  Have you considered the poor?  Do you know someone around you that is in need?  Consider them and what you could do to make their load lighter.

Knowing God - He Has Chosen Us

2 Chron 29:11

 My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

                                                         

King Hezekiah is instructing the Levites in their place in God’s kingdom.  The Levites had been negligent in their calling and the king called them in to remind them and stir them up in their calling.  He tells them that the Lord had chosen them.  The Lord chose them to stand before Him, to serve Him, minister to Him and burn incense.  Hezekiah was detailed and clear in exhorting the Levites to no longer neglect any or all of what the Lord had called them to do.  The Lord chooses us as well.  He sends reminders when we, like these Levites, begin to become negligent in the positions of influence and responsibility He has given us.  When we neglect the assignments the Lord has given us, it will not only affect us, but the entire kingdom around us.  This might be a good time to bow your head, recommit your life to the Lord, ask Him to help you not be negligent and seek to be faithful in all He has chosen for you.  The Lord has chosen us, let us responds with faithfulness and fervor.

Knowing God - The Lord Submits Evidence

Rom 8:16

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,

 that we are the children of God:

The Lord Submits Evidence

How wonderful for the Lord to do this!  The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  These words ‘bear witness’ means to ‘corroborate with evidence’.  The Holy Spirit points out and labels pieces of evidence in order to convict us that we, indeed, are ‘guilty’ of being His children.  How does He do this?  He might show you fruit in your life that was never there before you had Christ dwelling in your heart by faith.  He might show you a desire within you that you would never have had before you were born again.  He might cause you to notice a lack of desire for sinful things you once were actually enslaved to.  What evidence have you seen in your life that shows you are God’s child?  This is one of the works of the Holy Spirit.  He is the best attorney convicting us, not only of sin, but of being God’s child.  Thank You Lord for giving us Your Holy Spirit to show us concrete evidence to combat the accuser of our brethren and internal lies that seek to persuade us that we do not belong to You.  We love you Daddy!

Proverbs - How To Avoid Decay

Proverbs 19:16

He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul;

 but he that despiseth his ways shall die.

Keeping God’s commandments involves continuing in them.  Have you found yourself slacking on certain standards the Lord has directly commanded you to keep?  We need life and it is in keeping His commandments that life begins to penetrate our days.  If we despise God’s ways, or treat them lightly, death starts to occur.  Our days will begin to take on a sense of withering away and the life He intends to give us eludes us.  Even today’s proverb must be taken as something worth keeping.  We could speak this truth today to our hearts and watch life begin within our spirits.  We can say, “I keep your commandment today and consider whatever you say as a treasure.”  We can write down a promise or something we heard at church on a card and put it on our desk or counter and enjoy meditating on it.  We can consider God’s commandments as more authoritative than any other mental voice trying to direct our thoughts.  As we cherish our time in His Word, as we choose to want to be instructed in His ways, our souls will be guarded from the course of decay and weariness.  

Knowing God - He Rolls Away Our Reproach

Josh 5:9

And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

The word ‘Gilgal’ means rolling.  The Lord had taken His people out of slavery, through the wilderness and now welcomes them to the land of promise.  He gives this place a name that will always remind His people of what He has done in their lives.  Isn’t that interesting?  The Lord names a place as a reminder.  Do you have certain places that serve as reminders to you?  Have you seen the Lord roll away things out of your life and set you in a new direction?  Is it a new job?   Could you have begun a new relationship?  Is there a new healthy habit the Lord has set up in you?  Do you find yourself blushing at things you used to think were acceptable?  Perhaps you find yourself having disciplines and commitments that are in great contrast to the ‘Egypt’ you used to live in.  Rejoice in your ‘Gilgals’.  He has rolled away your reproach and has promised lands for you!

Proverbs - Lazy Days

Proverbs 19:15

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

When we are lazy we get sleepy.  When we get sleepy we get lazy.  This is a vicious cycle.  Here the Lord is dealing with the fact that when we are not diligent in our work we will end up less diligent.  The Lord has given me a few ideas when this flesh is not too excited to do those manual tasks.  Maybe one or more could be helpful to you and your frame.

·        Set the kitchen timer for a certain amount and try to complete the task before it ends.  This sets sort of a ‘game’ or ‘competition’ environment and sometimes gives me an extra boost.

·        Turn on some really good dancing music that gets your body moving.  Sure, you may be moving a mop but it is good exercise and the lively environment may just contribute to your energy level.

·        Invite a friend over to help and plan a day that week to come and help her.  Finish the work with a nice lunch and prayer time together.  Making a task a bit relational may help us be a bit more motivated.

·        Reward yourself as an incentive.  When you finish your work, call a good friend or go to the market and buy that wonderful treat for your family that night.

·        Stop and pray before working asking for the joy of the Lord.  When we have His joy we tend to be strong. 

·        While you and I are working constantly give Him thanks and praise. When making the bed, thank Him for the warmth of the blankets.   When folding the laundry thank Him for clothes and the family that wears them.

·        Turn on a really good teaching CD or one from the internet.  Find a few different pastors teaching on the same section of scripture.  By the time you are done cleaning you will have grown in your knowledge of the Word and your home will be sparkling.

·        Get a hands free ear and mouth piece for your phone and use the time to catch up on those in your life.  Pray with them and enjoy them. 

·        If you speak in tongues, commit one entire task to praying with your spirit.  You will be building yourself up while your home is sparkling.

·        Think about how nice it will look afterwards and move towards that time you will look back on it and behold that it is good.  Even the Lord did this in creation.

These are some ideas and the Lord will show you your own.  This slothfulness must not be obeyed and become the lord of our days.  If we aren’t getting enough sleep, turn off the television and go to bed earlier.  If we are tired from sick children or other reasons that is not slothfulness, that is being human!  Slothfulness is being lazy and either not doing a job well or not at all.  Let us do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God, the Father, by Him.