Ephesians 6:1 gives the command to all children: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise) that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."
As children, obeying our parents is not something that we are obliged to do, but it is an opportunity to do so through the grace of God. We love and obey as a response to the love and compassion that our parents give us.
Parents may not always be the best at expressing love, but it is undeniable that the love of a parent goes beyond any other. I never truly understood how a parent loves until I became a father.
The way parents show their love may be completely different from the way children think. That's because children do not appreciate discipline right away. It takes a while to build a value for proper discipline, but we always do our best to teach our children to value discipline.
Discipline may not seem like the most pleasant experience for children. That's because it causes temporary inconvenience for the sake of experiencing greater joy and pleasure in the future.
Discipline is not limited to physical reprimand, and it evolves as our children age. Discipline can also be in the form of giving chores, providing sanctions for benefits such as days out and time with friends, and teaching spiritual discipline.
Regardless of the form, properly applied discipline will always bear good fruit in the lives of our children, and we can be assured that the fruit that it bears will last. It's a matter of having the right heart and attitude in giving proper and Godly discipline.
Here are 5 verses from the book of Proverbs about discipline that will help our children understand the value of it.
Proverbs 13:24. "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him."
Proverbs 22:15. "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him."
Proverbs 23:13. "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die."
Proverbs 23:14. "If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol."
Proverbs 29:15. "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother."
