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Godly discipline is a blessing of God?

A good friend of mine told me that his strong disciplines of continual study and reading 1-2 books per month come from the disciplines that his grandmother instilled in him. She would make sure that he daily spent time reading books from various arenas of life. Today, his teachings and messages are always fresh and relevant. He attributes much of his success to his grandmother! The Apostle Paul revealed this about Timothy’s upbringing: “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy went on to be a great leader in his generation. However, it was his mother and grandmother that imparted their faith onto Timothy. If we really love our children, we will not withhold from them the needed disciplines that they will need when they grow up. Disciplines like: love for the word of God, prayer, applying God’s word to their lifestyles, living honestly, honor for their elders and other authority figures, reading and study, going to sleep early and waking up early, etc. If you do this, they will thank you when they grow up. You will be giving them the tools they need to succeed in this complex world.

Proverbs 13:24 – Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.

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Do you suffer from this?

I saw a small sign which read: “Gratitude turns what we have into ENOUGH!” Wow, that is a powerful perspective. Two people eat the same meal. One was hungry and didn’t have the money to pay for it, but the restaurant owner decided to bless him with the meal, so the person was extremely grateful and thankful. The other person was upset and angry because that is not what he wanted to eat. It was the same meal. What was the difference? It was their perspective. The person that was grateful saw the value in the meal. He realized that he could not take that meal for granted. He could have gone hungry that day. Yet, God provided a wonderful meal for him via that generous restaurant owner. The other person takes every thing for granted.  Each meal, the car he drives, his health, his expensive condominium, his job and his prestige and influence. This kind of perspective lacks the appreciation of just how fortunate  we are when we are able to have the things we need or want. In truth, anything can be taken away from us in a heartbeat. People have lost everything in a fire, a flood, an earthquake, or a tsunami. Today we should really reconsider God’s blessing which is all around us if we have the right perspective! So what if we don’t have everything that we desire at this point. The important thing is that we have what we need. There are many around the world who live with very little and would greatly appreciate what we have right now! Well, are you grateful?

Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”