Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Tough Love
“For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:12 NLT)
As much as it is important to love our kids and tell them how much we love them, we must also discipline our kids. That is our responsibility as parents.
A trend nowadays is to be your child’s friend, not their parent. But they don’t need you to be their best friend. They need parental guidance, counsel, and discipline—only you can give that. Only you can be Mom or Dad. They may not like it now but they will thank you later for being a parent and doing what a parent ought to do.
When you discipline your children you actually reflect God’s character. God is love. And because He is love, He disciplines us. The Lord says that whom He loves He will discipline (Revelation 3:19). Hebrews 12:10-11 says, “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (NLT).
Because God loves us, He disciplines us. Deuteronomy 8:5 says, “You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you” (NKJV). If you can go and sin without any concern, remorse, or guilt, that would indicate to me you are not even God’s child. God makes it hard for you to disobey because He is showing you how much He loves you.
If you don’t discipline your children, you don’t show them how much you love them—or how much God loves them.
Copyright © 2018 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
SPECIAL OFFER
In thanks for your gift, you can receive Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, BOOK.
Steve was the King of Cool, but at the end of his life, he encountered the King of Kings, and as a result, an American icon became a child of God. Help me tell Steve’s story and bring glory to God by sharing the book Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon with a friend. We’ll send you a copy in thanks for your donation to Harvest Ministries today.
This book is our thank-you gift to you when you donate to Harvest Ministries this month.