The Parenting Series: Godly Correction (Pt. 1)

(Part 1)

“A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself is a disgrace to his mother.”-Proverbs 29:15 (HCSB)

Last week we discussed the importance of modeling and training as part of our parenting approach. One way, in which we train our kids, that I left as a stand alone topic for this week is the role of healthy discipline. In fact, no good training will be devoid of discipline and raising godly children is no exception. 

Nevertheless, discipline in our culture is a sensitive topic. I spanking acceptable? Should we use time-outs, grounding, or withhold privileges? There is a contingency of people that question whether we should even discipline our kids at all. 

The Bible, however, is not silent on the subject of correction and discipline. God communicates clearly in Revelation 3:19 that discipline and correction are a demonstration of His love for us:

“I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”

Jesus was very clear that He corrects and disciplines everyone He loves and clearly demonstrates that love (not anger) should be our motivation for discipline. Discipline must be motivated by love and a deep concern for the best interest of our children. Have you ever disciplined your child, not to impart wisdom, but because you were frustrated over the additional work or stress it created for you? 

Just as we have a goal in mind as we parent our children, discipline, too, should have a definitive goal in mind. The goal of healthy discipline should be godly character. This should cause us to ask ourselves the question: When we discipline our kids are we trying to conform them to our will or to God’s character? Although obedience is certainly an outcome of proper discipline, when we teach our children the importance of godly submission, we are teaching them to do the right thing for the right reason. 

Throughout the book of Proverbs (13:1, 19:18, 23:13-14, & 29:17) we find confirmation that God sees discipline as a means of training and a path to life.

So with the necessity of discipline being established, let us turn our attention to the question of “How we should discipline?” I am not going to debate the value of each of the various methods of discipline, rather I am going to refer back to Proverbs 29:15 to help us determine if the method you are using is effective: 

“A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself is a disgrace to his mother.”-Proverbs 29:15 (HCSB)

This passage helps us lay some important groundwork. There are two paths which discipline can take that will affect your approach:

1. We can discipline in anger.  When we discipline in anger our goal is simply to punish wrong behavior.

or 

2. We can discipline in love. When we discipline in love our goal is to impart wisdom and correct behavior. 

The path we choose will influence our effectiveness in helping our children develop in godly character. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church