The Torah Network

3 yrs

My daughter drew this for me. ❤ Shabbat Shalom.

Comment

3 yrs

"I don't have a religion. I have a relationship with God."

That's a self-refuting statement. Religion is any set of beliefs or practices associated with the supernatural and/or divine. If you don't have religion, then you don't have a relationship with God.

Stop letting God-haters define your vocabulary.

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3 yrs

DISCIPLINE – PART 4

SO, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DISCIPLINE?
Psalm 119:67: I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow Your Word. -- Discipline can keep us following YHVH’s Word more closely.
Proverbs 6:23; These Commands and this teaching are a lamp to light the way ahead of you. The correction of discipline is the way to life. Hebrews 12:11; No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening; it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Discipline promotes right living.

HOW DOES YHVH DISCIPLINE HIS CHILDREN?
Hebrews 12:7; As you endure this divine discipline, remember that YHVH is treating you as His own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? -- As a loving father.
Deuteronomy 8:5; You should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, YHVH Elohim disciplines you to help you. Psalm 119:75;. I know, Elohim, that Your decisions are fair; You disciplined me because I needed it. -- As we need it.
Jeremiah 31:18; I have heard Israel saying; You disciplined me severely, but I deserved it. I was like a calf that needed to be trained for the yoke and plough. Turn me again to You and restore me, for You alone are YHVH my Elohim. -- As we deserve it.
Isaiah 38:16; Elohim, Your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You have restored my health and have allowed me to live! -- As we need restoration.
1 Corinthians 11:32: When we are judged and disciplined by Elohim, we will not be condemned with the world. -- To keep us from being condemned.

HOW SHOULD I DISCIPLINE MY CHILDREN?
Proverbs 13:24; If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them. -- With love.
Proverbs 19:18; Discipline your children while there is hope. If you don’t, you will ruin their lives. -- When they need it-before it is too late.
Ephesians 6:4; Now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by Elohim. -- Not in anger
Colossians 3:21; Fathers, don’t aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying. -- Without causing aggravation and discouragement.
Hebrews 12:10; Our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But YHVH’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in His Holiness. -- With whatever wisdom we have!

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DISCIPLINE IS TOO MUCH, IF I AM BEING TOO HARSH?
Colossians 3:21; Fathers, don’t aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying. Ephesians 6:4; Don’t make your children angry by the way you scold them. Misdirected discipline will create undesirable behaviour. To discipline harshly may produce a harsh response. A child may rebel, or he may simply give up.

YHVH’S DISCIPLINE IS THE ROLE MODEL FOR OUR DISCIPLINE, DEMONSTRATING THE TRUE GOAL OF DISCIPLINE.
Deuteronomy 8:5; You should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, YHVH Elohim disciplines you to help you. Hebrews 12:7-11 -- Elohim disciplines those He loves, and He punishes those He accepts as His children. -- YHVH’s discipline is an act of Love to help us. Our discipline of our children should be the same. Loving discipline is life building, but angry punishment can destroy a child’s sense of self-worth.
Psalm 94:12 Happy are those whom You discipline, Adonai. -- Effective discipline sets us on the right path, making us truly happy and thankful.
Proverbs 12:1; To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. -- Discipline is important for character development.
Proverbs 1:1-3; These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel… Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair. -- The biblical concept of discipline is summarized in this introduction to the book of Proverbs. As Solomon wrote Proverbs to disciple his people - to teach them how to live, act, and be just and fair-so YHVH wrote His Word to disciple us in these things.

COULD MY TROUBLES ACTUALLY BE YHVH DISCIPLINING ME?
Proverbs 3:11-12; My child, don’t ignore it when Elohim disciplines you… For YHVH corrects those He loves. Zephaniah 3:2; It proudly refuses to listen even to the voice of Elohim. No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in Elohim or draw near to its YHVH. -- Like Jerusalem in the time of Zephaniah, we can wilfully refuse to listen to YHVH or anyone else, refusing the correction that would help us. At the heart of that kind of stubbornness is a failure to trust and seek YHVH. Stay open to YHVH’s correction in your life, trusting His direction through His Word and your brothers and sisters in Moshiach.

HOW SHOULD DISCIPLINE IN THE CHURCH BE HANDLED?
Matthew 18:15-17; If another believer sins against you. Go to the brother or sister and reprove him or her in private. If he or she does not listen, go with one or two witnesses. If he or she still refuses to listen, take the matter before the church. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Why haven’t you removed this man from your fellowship? -- There are times when the scope of the sin and the flagrancy with which it is carried out requires the church to remove the one in error from the fellowship.
2 Corinthians 2:5-8; He was punished enough… Now it is time to forgive him. -- The church gives united disapproval, but forgiveness and comfort are in order if the person chooses to repent. Don’t shut out one who is genuinely repentant.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. Don’t think of them as enemies but speak to them as you would to a Christian who needs to be warned. -- Believers who are not repentant should not be treated as though everything is all right. They need to be warned of the consequences of their continued sin.
Titus 3:10; If anyone is causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with that person. -- If a person continues in flagrant sin after repeated warnings, or if he or she is causing division in the church and refuses to stop, then it is appropriate to expel that person from the fellowship.

Comment

3 yrs

DISCIPLINE – PART 3

DISCIPLINING CHILDREN

EVEN CHILDREN OF GODLY PARENTS REQUIRE SPECIFIC ATTENTION AND TRAINING.
His father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking; What are you doing? Adonijah was a very handsome man and had been born next after Absalom. -- 1 Kings 1:6 Elohim fearing people like David and Samuel were used by YHVH to lead nations; nevertheless, they had problems in family relationships. Elohim fearing leaders cannot take for granted the spiritual well-being of their children. They are used to having others follow their orders, but they cannot expect their children to manufacture faith upon request. Moral and spiritual character takes years to build, and it requires constant attention and patient discipline. David served YHVH well as a king, but as a parent he often failed both YHVH and his children. Don’t let your service to YHVH, even in leadership positions, take up so much of your time and energy that you neglect your other Elohim-given responsibilities.

CHILDREN NEED LIMITS FOR THEIR OWN GOOD.
Because David had never interfered by opposing or even questioning his son, Adonijah did not know how to work within limits. The result was that he always wanted his own way, regardless of how it affected others. Adonijah did whatever he wanted and paid no respect to YHVH’s wishes. Undisciplined children may look cute to their parents, but undisciplined adults destroy themselves and others. As you set limits for your children, you make it possible for them to develop the self-discipline they will need to control themselves later. Discipline your children carefully while they are young, so that they will grow into self-disciplined adults.

CAREFUL DISCIPLINE IS AN EXPRESSION OF PARENTAL LOVE.
If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompted to discipline them. -- Proverbs 13:24 It is not easy for a loving parent to discipline a child, but it is necessary. The greatest responsibility that YHVH gives parents is the nurture and guidance of their children. Lack of discipline puts parents’ love in question because it shows a lack of concern for the character development of their children. Disciplining children averts long-range disaster. Without correction, children grow up with no clear understanding of right and wrong and with little direction to their lives. Don’t be afraid to discipline your children. It is an act of love. Remember, however, that your efforts cannot make your children wise; they can only encourage your children to seek YHVH’s wisdom above all else!

DISCIPLINING CHILDREN IS A PAINSTAKING RESPONSIBILITY.
To discipline and reprimand a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. -- Proverbs 29:15. Parents of young children often become weary of disciplining them. They feel like all they do is nag, scold, and punish. When you’re tempted to give up and let your children do what they want, or when you wonder if you’ve ruined every chance for a loving relationship with them, remember-kind, firm correction helps them learn, and learning makes them wise. Consistent, loving discipline will ultimately teach them to discipline themselves.

DISCIPLINE IS AN UNAVOIDABLE PART OF RESPONSIBLE PARENTING.
Now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by Elohim. -- Ephesians 6:4 The purpose of parental discipline is to help children grow, not to exasperate and provoke them to anger or discouragement -- see also Colossians 3:21. Parenting is not easy; it takes lots of patience to raise children in a loving, Moshiach-honouring manner. But frustration and anger should not be causes for discipline. Instead, parents should act in love, treating their children as Yeshua treats the people He loves. This is vital to children’s development and to their understanding of what Christ is like.

THE BIBLE GIVES DIRECTIONS FOR CARING DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE CHURCH.
How terrible that you should boast about your spirituality and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don’t you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be affected? -- 1 Corinthians 5:6. The church must discipline flagrant sin among its members-such actions, left unchecked, can polarize, and paralyze a church. The correction, however, should never be vengeful. Instead, it should be given to help bring about a cure. There was a specific sin in the church, but the Corinthian believers had refused to deal with it. In this case, a man was having an affair with his mother -or stepmother- and the church members were trying to ignore the situation. Paul was telling the church that it had a responsibility to maintain the standards of morality found in YHVH’s Word. YHVH tells us not to judge others. But He also tells us not to tolerate flagrant sin because it is a dangerous influence on other believers -- 5:6.

OUR RESPONSE TO DISCIPLINE WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH WE BENEFIT FROM IT.

We may respond to discipline in several ways:
1 -- we can accept it with resignation.
2 -- we can accept it with self-pity, thinking we really don’t deserve it.
3 -- we can be angry and resent YHVH for it; or
4 -- we can accept it gratefully as the appropriate response toward a loving Father.

YHVH IS MORE LOVING AND DEMANDING THAN ANY PARENT.
YHVH is not only a disciplining parent but also a demanding coach who pushes us to our limits and requires our life to be disciplined. Although we may not feel strong enough to push on to victory, we will be able to obtain it as we follow Moshiach and draw upon His strength. Then we can use our growing strength to help those around us who are weak and struggling.