Night 2 of our Parenting series at church was focused on Discipline and Training. You can check out the entire message here. We looked at two passages from God’s Word – Proverbs 3:11-12 and Hebrews 12:3-11.

Here is the outline from that message:

1. Do Not Think Badly About Discipline
   God disciplines His children. Discipline is a good thing. Discipline seeks to work-out the wrong, and Training seeks to work-in the right. Understanding that there are consequences in life is a very important part of growing up.
2. Discipline is Loving
   To not discipline and train our children is to not love them fully. It is hurting the person. Not disciplining the person is causing them to be worse. It is causing them to continue going in a wrong direction. Correcting and re-directing a child is the good and loving thing to do.
3. Discipline Works
   We could go on and on with countless examples of where discipline and training have worked and benefitted the child.
   When I was a young child, my mom caught me talking badly and then she took me to her bathroom and washed my mouth out with soap. Literally. And after me choking for a bit, she said “If you talk like that again, we will do this again.” And I never had to have my mouth washed out again. It worked.

Hebrews 12:11 says “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

God knows what is best. God’s way is the best way – even in raising children. Discipline works, and we are grateful for God’s word on the topic.