CHILD TRAINING

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him!" (Prov. 22:15 NKJV).

The correct way for training children is not to be found in any psychology books. If you want to know the right way to train a child, go to the Word of God. Our verse today teaches us about the problem of children and the punishment of children.

Problem of children – “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child.” The word “foolishness” carries the idea of unwise behavior. Thus the child foolishly thinks he knows more than his parents and his teachers when in truth he is very ignorant. The child foolishly thinks mainly of himself and getting his own way. A lot of adults are still in this foolish stage. “Heart” here refers to one’s inner self. It is here that one’s moods and conscience are centered. The word is often rendered as the mind, the center of intellectual activity. This means that “foolishness” is in the very nature of the child himself. It is more than skin deep and is applicable to every child. It is the doctrine of the depravity of man, and it is a serious problem.

Punishment of children – “The rod of correction will drive it far from him.” This speaks of the severity in the punishment and the schooling in the punishment. Firstly, the idea of the “rod” refers not a slap on the wrist; it is a punishment that will get the child’s attention. It will hurt but not harm the child when it is applied to the right part of the child’s anatomy. God so made us that a good spanking will hurt but not harm. Secondly, the schooling in the punishment - “drive it far from him.” Much of the discipline today is so lenient it does not drive evil away from the child. You will never correct a child’s evil ways if you punish him in a way that does not drive the evil far from the child. We need to be separated far from evil. Closeness leads to corruption.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“When a child gets off the track, he can be put back on by pulling a switch!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dropsy

In Luke 14:22 we read, “And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy” (NKJV).

Dropsy out is the Greek word hudrōpikos (ὑδρωπικός = hoo-dro-pik-os'). It is made up of two words: “hudōr” which means water, and “ops” which means face or countenance. The word is understood to be a medical term, describing a condition of edema, which is an abnormal accumulation of serous fluids in connective tissues or cavities of the body accompanied by swelling, or defective circulation. It is usually symptomatic of more serious problems. It is important to notice that this word derives from ‘water’ and ‘face’ because the disease often made a person look bloated in their face.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah’s character would be marked by wisdom, knowledge, understanding (Isa. 11:2)

New Testament Fulfillment – Col. 2:3

Did You Know…

In Genesis 2:23, Adam names his mate “Woman.” In the New Testament, Jesus always referred to Mary as “Woman.”

Bible Quiz

What was God’s instruction regarding the fire on the altar in the tabernacle?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: According to Romans 15, where did Paul strive to preach the gospel? “Not where Christ was named” (Rom. 15:20). )

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

“Hearing footsteps”

“But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him” (2 Kings 6:32 NKJV).

“Hearing footsteps” - The expression “hearing footsteps” carries the idea of listening for those behind you. In context, the king here is Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab is called a murderer because of the murder of Naboth. King Jehoram is blaming Elisha for the famine and so he gave instructions to kill him. The king is following behind the messenger that was sent to kill Elisha. However, the Lord was with Elisha and revealed the plot to him. The messenger had a surprising reception as he was kept from harming Elisha.

Did You Know – Christian History

John Mott was born May 25, 1865 in Livingston Manor, New York. He was an evangelist, leader of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF).

Mott was raised in Postville, Iowa, in a pious Methodist home. He graduated from Cornell University in 1888 with a bachelor’s degree and later received honorary degrees from Yale, Edinburgh, Princeton, Brown, Toronto, and other universities.

On January 14, 1886, Mott was late walking into a meeting at Cornell University when he heard C. T. Studd say, “Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” That night John couldn’t sleep, so he sought out Studd for a private talk. That encounter changed his life, as well as the world. Mott was to demonstrate a living faith in Christ and became a notable evangelist, a YMCA leader and a co-founder of the Student Volunteer Mission. He labored to pull all Christians together to win the world for Christ in his generation. Mott was influenced by Arthur Tappan Pierson one of the forces behind the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions.

Mott’s influence was enormous - In 1900 he published ‘The Evangelization of the World in This Generation,’ a book which challenged the young men and women of his day. In 1910, he helped organize a major conference in Edinburgh for the purpose of uniting Christians behind world evangelism. In 1912 and 1913 he circled the globe to stimulate the formation of national associations of students, youth, and churches and to conduct mass evangelistic crusades in China and India. In 1914 he was instrumental in establishing the Missionary Research Library in New York City. In 1921 he teamed with J. H. Oldham to form the International Missionary Council. Through the IMC he promoted global cooperation in missions and developed a pattern of representative leadership from churches of East and West, North and South, that became normative for the ecumenical movement.

John became so well-known that heads of state greeted him. Even while still in his thirties, he was considered the Protestants’ leading statesman. At 81, the Nobel committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in establishing and strengthening international Protestant Christian student organizations that worked to promote peace.

The man who did as much as anyone to evangelize the world and unite divided denominations, died January 31, 1955 in Orlando, Florida. He was eighty-nine years old.

A Little Humor

After the flood waters receded, Noah lowered the ramp and told the animals to go forth and multiply. All the animals left except two snakes who lay quietly in the corner of the ark. “Why don’t you go forth and multiply?” asked Noah. “We can’t,” answered the snakes. “We are adders.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Every person faces this choice - Christ or condemnation!”