Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us (Psalm 96.2, GNB).
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Opening
Speak these words out loud:
Jesus said, ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.’
Acts 1.8 (NIV)
Today’s Proverb
Read the proverb through three or four times, slowly. Pause in-between, maybe write it out by hand – savour the words, let them speak deeply to you.
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death. (NIV)
Don’t hesitate to discipline children. A good spanking won’t kill them. As a matter of fact, it may save their lives. (GNB)
Proverbs 23.13-14
As I hope I didn’t need to say last time we looked at a Proverb about discipline, beating children is wrong. Discipline and appropriate boundaries – helping children learn that actions have consequences – these things are not wrong.
The other thing verses like this do not mean, is that whenever something bad happens to us, God is punishing / disciplining us, as if we are on the naughty step, or are somehow worse than everyone else.
The question of whether God causes this or that thing to happen is not a helpful line of thinking, because there is simply no way to answer the question. Yes, ultimately God is behind / before / above everything – but the world we live in is also damaged and corrupted and broken by sin and evil. The Bible gives us no way of working out or calculating how much of a given event is caused by God, and how much by evil – and sometimes the answer is both.
However, all is not lost! Consistently, time and again through the story of God and his people, God brings good out of sin and evil. It doesn’t justify or excuse the wrongdoing, but shows the incredible power and mercy of God. He calls us to perfection but doesn’t require it, which means he works with and through broken, sinful, corrupt people like me (and you).
Through Jesus we are set free to learn the lesson of discipline without having to bear the punishment. The question is – are we listening?
Prayers
Pray for Five – pray for your five friends / family from Thy Kingdom Come.
Our daily prayer sheet includes the names of everyone for whom we have a signed church family directory form – and local parishes and senior church leaders. Today we are praying for:
Hazel Lawson, Olive Carter, Julia Pinner
Father, please bless them with your peace, and a deep awareness of your presence with them, every day and in every way.
We also pray for: Overseas Mission Partners
Please pray for our leaders and healthcare workers, and all those working to keep us safe, well, and fed. Please pray that people would unselfishly put others before themselves.
Church Family Prayer
Come Holy Spirit,
and make us one in heart and action,
so that we can serve God faithfully:
abounding in love,
maturing in holiness,
and seeking out the lost.
Help us grow as disciples of Jesus –
in commitment, in depth, and in number –
that we may be a blessing to Amington;
to the glory and praise of God the Father.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
Closing Prayer
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
the only way to the Father.
Psalm 127.1, Hebrews 12.2 & John 14.6
May Christ our Saviour give us peace.
Amen.