Thursday, August 21
What son is he that a father does not discipline?—Heb. 12:7.
A king in ancient Israel, whom Jesus noted for his great wisdom, spoke of the need for loving, parental correction. “The one holding back his rod is hating his son,” Solomon wrote, “but the one loving him is he that does look for him with discipline.” Solomon even said that a person receiving loving correction may have his very soul delivered from death itself. (Prov. 13:24; 23:13, 14; Matt. 12:42) One Christian woman recalls that as a child when she misbehaved at Christian meetings, her father would promise to discipline her on returning home. Now she remembers her father with affection for providing her with loving discipline that molded her life in a fine way. If you have parents who love you enough to take the time and make the effort to discipline you in a loving way, be grateful. Obey them. You will thereby benefit yourself, and it “may go well with you and you may endure a long time on the earth.”—Eph. 6:2, 3. w07 2/15 3:17-19 |