“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” – Revelation 3:19, NKJV

When it comes to parenting, I am a hard-nosed disciplinarian and I have neither apologies nor regrets about it.   

We all had different experiences while being raised by our parents.

Many of us hate to repeat the ‘mistakes’ our parents made on us. 

For others, their parents probably look at how they are raising their grandchildren and shudder.

For us Christians, the Bible says it’s our duty and responsibility to “chastise” – instruct, correct, reprove and chasten our children because it’s what God does to His children too.

The Hebrew word used for ‘chastisement’ is ‘mucar,’ which means reproof, instruction, warning, or discipline.

Our meditation verse today depicts our Lord Jesus addressing the ‘lukewarm’ Laodecean Church, which had become irresponsible and arrogant because they thought they were wealthy and “in need of nothing.”

The key words Jesus mentioned are “rebuke” (using words) and “chasten” (using actions).

Both must be used together like the two wheels of a bicycle.

In the New Testament, the Greek equivalent for ‘mucar’ is paideuo, from the root ‘pais’ (a child).

It’s from this word that we derive our English word ‘pedagogy’ (the training of a child).

I believe that responsible parenting involves training a child (through words and actions) by inculcating four values that form the acronym C.O.R.E: Confident; Obedient; Resilient; Excellent.

Great parents and guardians impart confidence, inculcate obedience, build resilience, and instill excellence in the child.

In other words, well-parented children are confident, obedient, resilient and excellent in everything they do.

I believe that a deficiency in any of these values in a child may be an indication of parenting ineptitude.

It takes a combination of instruction, correction, discipline and chastening to instill these invaluable traits.

A good father/mother should not shy away from subjecting his/her beloved son/daughter to ‘hardship’ rather than an ‘easy life’ whereby the child does whatever he/she pleases.

I mean if your parents had let you stay at home to watch cartoons whenever you told them that you didn’t feel like going to school, where would you be today?

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.”

JOB 5:17

Of course spanking has become controversial in our increasingly ‘westernised’ society, but the wisdom of the Bible will never go out of fashion: “Chasten your son while there is still hope” (Proverbs 19:18).

That implies that parenting that truly impacts a child for life happens only during a brief period.

Some experts say the ‘window of hope’ remains open for a period of between eight to ten years only.

Like someone aptly put it, if you fear to make your child cry when he’s young, he will make you cry when he/she grows up.

In Hebrews 12:5-11, the Bible says God’s “training” of His children is like that of every good parent.

It says in part: “The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.”

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

That implies that every word of rebuke or act of chastisement is a seed planted, which would bring a harvest later in life.

That’s the same approach that God takes on you as His child.

Deuteronomy 8:5 says; “You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you.”

One of the key benefits of being subjected to hardship is that it inculcates in us the prayerful attitude of always being dependent on God.

Isaiah 26:16 says; “They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them” (see also James 5:13).

Let me conclude with Job 5:17: “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.”

Prayer:

Almighty God, I am Your beloved child! Through Your chastisement, help me to attain the character of confidence, obedience, resilience and excellence. For the glory of Your Name, Amen!