Where's My Hasenpfeffer

“I, too, had caught myself wishing that she would die.”

Jeremiah Thompson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:21:35 GMT

Below is a blog from the Ayn Rand Institute. I am a great fan of Ayn
Rand (Atheism excluded) and of her book Atlas Shrugged. The quote below
is from on of the most powerful parts of the book. If you have not read
this book it is a must read (or listen). I hope to bring you more
insight from Ayn Rand in the future but until then "Who is John Galt?"

In a pair of recent posts on correcting health care injustices (here and here), Alex Epstein pointed out how treating health care as a collective good gives rise to the following kind of argument: “We as a society must make ‘tough choices’ about who gets health care and who doesn’t…. Since ‘we’ have finite medical resources, we inevitably have to sacrifice some people’s care to others, whether young to old or old to young.”

It is worth pausing to think about how that kind of policy plays out in practice. In recent weeks, we have heard strident rhetoric about the prospect of “death panels” voting to pull the plug on Aunt Minnie’s respirator—but no such dramatic scenes are likely, at least not anytime soon. What we are more likely to see, as health care rationing increases, are gradual changes in individuals’ attitudes toward their fellow citizens, as everyone competes in drawing resources from the same public health-care trough.

What kind of changes can we expect? In Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged, one of the characters recalls what happened after his company medical plan started allocating medical care on the basis of collective need:

“In the old days, we used to celebrate if somebody had a baby, we used to chip in and help him out with the hospital bills, if he happened to be hard-pressed for the moment. Now, if a baby was born, we didn’t speak to the parents for weeks. Babies, to us, had become what locusts were to farmers. In the old days, we used to help a man if he had a bad illness in the family. Now—well, I’ll tell you about just one case. It was the mother of a man who had been with us for fifteen years. She was a kindly old lady, cheerful and wise, she knew us all by our first names and we all liked her—we used to like her. One day, she slipped on the cellar stairs and fell and broke her hip. We knew what that meant at her age. The staff doctor said that she’d have to be sent to a hospital in town, for expensive treatments that would take a long time. The old lady died the night before she was to leave for town. They never established the cause of death. No, I don’t know whether she was murdered. Nobody said that. Nobody would talk about it at all. All I know is that I—and that’s what I can’t forget!—I, too, had caught myself wishing that she would die. This—may God forgive us!—was the brotherhood, the security, the abundance that the plan was supposed to achieve for us!”

By such steps, in the privacy of their own minds, Americans may someday become accustomed to shrugging their shoulders and turning aside when a dying neighbor is told the system lacks money to provide necessary care. At that point, scary rhetoric about “death panels” will seem beside the point, if the entire ponderous government mechanism that administers health care has become a life-and-death panel holding the fate of every American in its hands.

The Truth about American Progressivism

Jeremiah Thompson — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Modern Day Hero

Jeremiah Thompson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:01:00 GMT

Weezer Rocks!

Jeremiah Thompson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:09:00 GMT

If you grew up in the 90's then you should know who Weezer is. Their first album went triple platinum and it was a sweet album. That was the Blue Album. This year they released the Red Album and it is fantastic.

They really mix it up on this album. "The greatest man that ever lived" is a brilliant song pulling from many different influences. The album has a new feel but is also reminiscent of the old school Weezer.

I highly recommend it. Finally, we are getting some good music again!

Everyone Else Jumped off the Bridge! - Part 2

Jeremiah Thompson — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:08:00 GMT

In case you missed it, the RPCNA jumped off the bridge with everyone else. But the funny thing is that their reason for jumping off the bridge was because everyone else already had. Yesterday I posted Steve Wilkins' response.

Here is the actual ruling from the RPCNA: (the emphasis is Doug Wilson's)

That Synod DECLARE that we stand in solidarity with our Reformed and Presbyterian brethren in rejecting as contrary to the Scriptures as summarized by our confessional standards the theological views that are generally associated with the movements identified as "the New Perspective(s) on Paul" and the "Federal Vision."

You can read Doug's full thoughts here.

But the my "Quotable Quote" of today is Wilson's last line.

He says,

That's the problem with men like Athanasius. No good at math. Don't know how to count. Can read pretty good though.

- Doug Wilson

Everyone Else Jumped off the Bridge!

Jeremiah Thompson — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:29:00 GMT

Steve Wilkins' response to the RPCNA decision about all things NPP/FV related.

"This is undoubtedly one of the silliest things I have ever seen done by a denomination. Ever.
incredible."
- Steve Wilkins

I could not agree more.

A Good Name

Jeremiah Thompson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:28:00 GMT

On May 27th, Steve Wilkins wrote the following in remembrance of John Calvin.

The Death of Calvin

Today is the anniversary of the death of John Calvin. Theodore Beza, his close friend and successor, describes his death as having come quietly as sleep, and then adds: “Thus withdrew into heaven, at the same time with the setting sun, that most brilliant luminary, which was the lamp of the Church. On the following night and day there was intense grief and lamentation in the whole city; for the Republic had lost its wisest citizen, the Church its faithful shepherd, and the Academy an incomparable teacher.”

Calvin had not only forbidden the erection of any monument over his grave, but also expressly forbade any pomp at his funeral. Philip Schaff says, “He wished to be buried, like Moses, out of reach of idolatry. This was consistent, with his theology, which humbles man and exalts God.”

A few years ago, I met a university student from Geneva. He said he was an agnostic and when I asked him if he had ever heard of John Calvin, he became visibly upset, “Calvin! Calvin! We will never get away from the influence of Calvin!” You know you’ve done something right when unbelievers get upset at the mention of your name 500 years after your death.

The last paragraph made me laugh out loud. We need more people with names like Calvin.

Not as smart as I once was

Jeremiah Thompson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:19:00 GMT

I heard a country song the other day and the lyrics were "I will never be as smart as I once was". This is becoming very true in my own life. I used to think I had everything figured out and that I was on top of all my theology. I knew what I believed and why you should believe what I believe.

Nowadays I am learning that there is very little that I understand and that God is incredibly more complicated and complex than I thought. The Bible is so deep and so wide that I have not even began to understand it.

I don't have a lot to say today other than to encourage you to study humbly. Do not let others tell you what to believe or who to read and not read. Read people that you think you disagree with because you might find that you do not actually disagree with them and that they make excellent points.

Be humble and allow God's Word to change you as you study.

I know I will never again be as smart as I once was.

NT Wright Interview

Jeremiah Thompson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Justin Taylor had a link yesterday on his blog for an interview with N.T. Wright. Click here to see his Entry: Between Two Worlds.

He links to Trevin Wax's blog, Kingdom People. Trevin is the one who interviews Wright. He also interviewed Wright in 2007 and it is available as audio, which I highly recommend you listen to.

The link to the audio is http://saidatsouthern.com/nt-wright-interview-mp3/. This is excellent!

I am currently reading Simply Christian by N.T. Wright. I hope to do a review of it at sometime. I am beginning to have deep respect for him. I think that he has a lot that the church needs to hear and think through.

Please do not just write Bishop Wright off because everyone is telling us that he is a heretic and that he is destroying justification. There is a possibility that what he is saying could be right or it could be wrong but it is something that we should study and not just ignore because we are told that it is wrong.

I have not read enough to say whether I agree or disagree with Bishop Wright but I have read enough to know that he has some very thought provoking ideas and this interview has showed me where his heart is. This man loves Jesus, the church, and wants to see the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

It is exciting to hear him talk in that way when so many others are pessimistic. Listen and you will be encouraged!

Is this Ironic or what?

Jeremiah Thompson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:24:00 GMT

Yesterday Steve Wilkins posted this on his blog: http://auburnavenue.org/blog/

According to the Americans for Tax Reform, in 2005: Americans worked 185 days to pay taxes and comply with the regulatory costs of government at the federal, state and local levels. In other words, the cost of government consumes 50.4 percent of national income. That means that every day’s salary up to July 4 went toward paying your tax bill. The report for 2005 indicated that on average Americans would work:

• 84 days to pay for all federal spending
• 43 days to pay all state and local spending
• 37 days to pay the costs of federal regulations
• 23 days to pay the costs of state regulations

Is it any better for this year? Maybe.

but I doubt it.

It is funny that we now have to work till Independence day to be independent. Wouldn't our founding fathers be proud!

You should be watching Battlestar Galactica

Jeremiah Thompson — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:33:00 GMT

If you have not started watching Battlestar Galactica then I have a weekend plan for you. Go to your public Library or local video store and rent the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica. Then order enough pizza from Pizza hut or Dominoes to last the weekend. Grab some chips, soda, and definitely some beer and settle into your favorite chair. You are about to watch one of the greatest television series of all time!

And you better hurry up because episode three of the final season is this Friday. Actually I wouldn't wait for the weekend. I would take a couple days off and then you will be caught up by Friday.

You get the point, it is a great show!

Now here is a teaser!

How can I better understand the Trinity

Jeremiah Thompson — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Last night a friend of mine who was a student of mine called me looking for help. He has been more vocal about his faith in school and has gotten to some great discussions. During these discussions he has realized that he needs to understand God more. But he is not alone. Many Christians cannot defend many basic Christian doctrines.

My friend asked me to email him some sources that can help him better understand what he believes and what he believes it. So here is what I sent him. It is not comprehensive but it will help you understand the Trinity better and hopefully help you to be a better apologist (defender of the faith).

This is a good place to start:

http://www.theopedia.com/Trinity

Piper has really helped me understand the Trinity. You can read as well as listen to his explanation at the link below:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/AskPastorJohn/ByTopic/117/1442_Can_you_explain_the_doctrine_of_the_trinity_and_its_biblical_support/

Monergism has a lot of articles but it would be a lot of difficult reading. But here is the link.

http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Trinity/Essays/

This could also be helpful:

http://jollyblogger.typepad.com/jollyblogger/2005/07/this_week_i_am_.html

Listen to the mp3's. It always helps me to hear how other guys verbalize their understanding of the trinity.

Extravagant Devotion

Jeremiah Thompson — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:10:00 GMT

We are currently attending Sovereign Grace Church of Frederick. This past Sunday C.J. Mahaney spoke and it was very convicting. C.J. speaks with such passion and humility. He has greatly influenced me especially with his book on humility. It is a must read!

Dan Patrick of Acts 29 on Leading the Mission

Jeremiah Thompson — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:13:00 GMT

This is a great podcast on helping you think through your motives of why you want to plant a church. While I will disagree with Dan about idols of the heart, I nonetheless agree that we have idols of our flesh. We must guard ourselves from the idols of our flesh but we must first identify them before we can guard ourselves from them.

This was a very challenging and thought provoking message. It should encourage us all to take the time and reflect on our motives, idols, and father related struggles.

I Love Calvin and Hobbes

Jeremiah Thompson — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:14:00 GMT

Calvin and Hobbes is one of the best comic strips ever and this is a really cool one! Thanks Jollyblogger!!!

Doug Wilson on Parenting Covenant Children - Part Three

Jeremiah Thompson — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:46:00 GMT

Loving Little Ones III

from BLOG and MABLOG

INTRODUCTION:

Mankind has had, in various cultures, different metaphors to describe the workings of our internal psychology. For example, we easily speak of the difference between the "head" and the "heart." The head represents propositional assent while the heart represents genuine commitment. But the biblical writers had a different set of internal organs to represent (roughly) the same thing--the "heart and reins" (e.g. Ps. 7:9), which is to say, the heart and kidneys. All this is to say that in using a particular metaphor for this message, it is important to note that this is a metaphor, and is not intended as any kind of "scientific" image.

THE TEXTS:

"Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged"
(Col. 3:21).
OVERVIEW:

This text is parallel to the text we used for the message last week, which was Eph. 6:4. Here we are given additional information on the results of parental provocation. In both texts, we see the possibility of childish anger, but here there is the additional result of discouragement. Don't discourage your children, St. Paul says. It would be very easy to falsely conclude from this that discipline is what discourages, but this is not the case. Children are provoked, either by the wrong kind of discipline or by no discipline.

THE METAPHOR:

The parental task is to break the child's will, without breaking the child's spirit. The metaphor is taken--if you like--from the world of training animals. The thing to avoid is breaking the spirit, and the second thing to avoid is that of failing to break the will. All right, so what does this amean?

Given the constraints of this image, there are four possibilities. The first is that a child's will and spirit could both remain unbroken, in which case you have yourself a wild banshee child--known to all your friends as the Demon Toddler. The second possibility is that a child's will and spirit are both broken, in which case there is no overt disobedience because all the child can contribute is a lethargic and glassy stare. The child is cowed, like a dog that was beat too much. The third possibility is that of breaking the spirit without breaking the will. The result here is that the child is introspective, moody, self-absorbed, and discourage, but it is entirely impossible to encourage them. They cling to their lousy perception of themselves, as stubborn as the pope's mule. And the last option, the one that all parents should strive for is that of a broken and submissive will and an entirely unbroken spirit.

Unbroken will and unbroken spirit
--this is the condition of the rebellious and dissolute child. An elder with sons like this is disqualified from office (Tit. 1:6). The parents in Deuteronomy with a son like this would no doubt be greatly ashamed (Dt. 21:20; cf. Prov. 23:19-21).
Broken will and broken spirit
--this is likely the condition of children in our text. They have been angered, and are discouraged. They are just beat up. When this happens, it is often the case that the father who is doing it has no idea that this is what he has done. He looks at other families,like the one above, and he shakes his head in disbelief. He has eliminated disobedience, he thinks, but there is no constructive obedience.
Unbroken will and broken spirit
--when this happens, the children show their uncooperative "rebellion" by passive/aggressive means. In other words, they are not downtown shooting out the streetlights, but they are stubbornly limp and unmotivated.
Broken will and unbroken spirit
--the children here are obedient and cheerful. Obedience is a matter of the will, and cheerfulness is cheerfulness of spirit.

It is important to note these four options because if you limit them just to two, you will make false judgments on any number of levels. If your gauge of assessment is simply whether the home is "calm" or "rowdy," for example, you might find yourself misjudging things radically (Is. 5:20).

LOVED AND LOVING IT:

Do your children like the discipline they receive? No, not necessarily in the moment of administration (Heb. 12: 11), but do they experience your discipline as an act of restoration and love? "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Prov. 13:24). The man who lets his kids run wild is hating them. He is disowning them in effect (Heb. 12:8). But a man who is clobbering his kid in the spirit, and leaving bruises there, and is making them say that "this is love" is catechizing them in lies. In other words, not spanking is a rejection. But that doesn't mean that every kind of spanking is automatically love. Obviously not. And the difference between the two is the difference between love and creepiness.

CHEERFUL DISCIPLINE:

With this as the standard, here are a few observations that will help parents in this important task with their children. And remember the context of all this that we set in the first two messages--love, grace, happiness, contentment, delight, and more grace.

Discipline should be restorative:
discipline is corrective, not punitive. You discipline your children for the same reason that you bathe them. You are not meting out justice at the Last Day, you are teaching and training. And you can measure whether this thrust of this message is functioning in your home by whether or not your children want to be restored to fellowship with you.
Discipline should be simple to understand-- predictable and consistent:
now in applying this, don't underestimate your kids. They understand a lot. But what they don't understand is if spankings for a particular offense are connected to nothing other than the phases of the moon. They understand cause and effect. What they don't (and can't) understand is randomness. We tend to switch this around, thinking that they can follow random flukes, but that predictable causation is beyond them.
Discipline should be for disciples:
since everyone in your home is a disciple, this means that everyone is under discipline, and everyone should be visibly under discipline. Put another way, the kids are not the only ones in the home who sin. When sin is regarded as the adversary, this prevents parents and children from developing an adversarial relationship.

God is Good!

Jeremiah Thompson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:17:00 GMT

I received a phone call from a friend this morning. He sounded different from usual. The first thing he said to me was "God is Good." I replied "Yes, He is." He then told me that his father had passed away this morning.

It is amazing how God gives peace that passes all understanding. My friend's dad had just died and he felt the most important thing to say was that God was good. I have seen great growth and maturity in my friend in the last few years and this is just another example.

So often we (meaning my friends and I) grapple with such large and philosophical problems that we forget the simple things, like God is good. It is important that in the search for true truth that we do not forget the ultimate true truth, that God is Good and He promises to do Good to all those that love Him.

Doug Wilson on Parenting Covenant Children - Part Two

Jeremiah Thompson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:13:00 GMT

Loving Little Ones II

from BLOG and MABLOG

INTRODUCTION:

We have considered the fact that child nurture, if it is to be healthy, has to occur in a particular kind of soil--and that is the soil of grace, mercy, and kindness. This is not indulgence or relativism, but rather is the only real basis for bringing up children who will love and worship God. You want children who love what you love, including your God.

THE TEXTS:

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"
(Eph. 6:4).
OVERVIEW:

The children of the church at Ephesus have just been reminded of their duty to obey their parents (v. 1), and the reason given is that of the fifth commandment (v. 2)--the first command that God gave that had a promise attached to it (v. 3). Paul takes the promise that had originally applied to Israelite children in the land, and he applies it to Gentile children in the earth. He then turns to the duties of the father, and says two things--the first is that fathers need to take care that they don't provoke their children, and they need to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (v. 4). In brief, they are to bring up their children in the Lord. But what does this mean?

YOUR CHILD IN ADAM:

It has been God's good pleasure to renovate the human race in Christ without making us move out. In other words, the fact that we as believers deal daily with the rubble caused by the collapse of the first Adam does not mean that the work of the last Adam is not in progress. Here is some of the rubble that we have to deal with. "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him" (Prov. 22:15). Every believer has to deal with remaining sin. Because of Christ, inner sin is not reigning sin, but it is remaining. "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). Those who believe in infant baptism, or God's covenant promises for our children, must never allow this to deteriorate into a covenantal presumption. Whenever covenant presumption settles in, one of the first things that happens is a blithe disregard of that rattlesnake Adam called your ego.

The common evangelical paradigm holds that evangelical conversion is chronological only. "In 2005, I used to be that way, and now in 2008 I am this way." This is certainly true of those who were converted from a life of rebellion, but what does this paradigm do for kids who have grown up in the Church? The word conversion means "to turn." For those who actually have lived in rebellion, they must turn from that, obviously. But this is not the only turning that we are called to do. Every Christian--even Christians who have grown up in the Church, especially Christians who have grown up in the Church--must turn from sin daily, must turn away from that remaining Adamic substratum daily. Jesus said to take up your cross daily (Luke 9:23), and this certainly includes those who have been in covenant with God their entire lives. Those who have been in covenant their whole lives simply have more days in which they are called to do this.

Every disciple needs to mortify his members which are still on the earth (Col. 3:5). Little disciples simply need help with this from their parents, that's all.

YOUR CHILD IN CHRIST:

In our texts, fathers were told to bring their children up in the Lord. They are not told to bring them to the Lord. The child's covenant status with God is simply assumed--but as we just noted, this is not the same thing as assuming covenant faithfulness. Given this, the task of Christian parents is to teach your children faith, not doubts. The question is not whether Christ and sin are inconsistent--of course they are inconsistent. The question rather is which way we reason.

Do we say, "You just sinned. That is inconsistent with life in Christ. I wonder if you are really in Christ." This is to catechize your child in doubts. Or do we say, "Son, you are in Christ, and this sin is inconsistent with that life. That is why your mother and I are going to help you to deal with the sin." This is to catechize your child in faith. If Christ and sin are inconsistent in your children's lives, and they are, then banish the sin instead of banishing Christ. And of course, if you say, "You're baptized. It's all good. Don't worry about it," you are catechizing them in presumption.

COMING TO WORSHIP:

When we come to worship, the entire service is geared to be edifying to the entire congregation. Not one person here gets everything out of the service that they could--not even close. So why would we exclude little ones until they can get as much out of it as we do? This helps to create the temptation of them not wanting to join us at all. We tell children that if they grow up to be big and strong, we will then give them some food. When they keel over and die of starvation, we congratulate ourselves on not having wasted any food on them--because they were obviously going to die anyway. This is simply perverse.

No adult at your dinner table turns to a toddler in a high chair and demands to know why he, the toddler, is not eating as much as the adult is. We are nourished according to our capacity. It is the same here. God knows our frame.

When you bring your children before the Lord, you need to settle this in your own mind and heart. You need to carefully teach them that they are welcome to everything here that they can reach. This would include, but not be limited to, the low notes of the psalms, the high notes of the hymns, the central point of the sermon, some incidental point in the sermon, the Apostles' Creed, the corporate amen, the lifting of the hands, and partaking of the bread and wine. Have you noticed that parents who bring their children for baptism promise to treat them, not only as their natural son or daughter, but also as a brother or sister.

Bringing up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord means that you teach them this: "You are in. Let me instruct you further on what it means to be in. Let me model it for you, and teach you how to be faithfully in." But, we worry, suppose a child grows up to reject all this. What do we do then? We do the same thing we would do with an adult who is baptized and who then falls away. Life in Christ and life in sin cannot be harmonized.

This worship service is the center of our lives, and consequently it ought to be the center of your child's life. And by center, we do not mean the "central arduous duty," but rather the central delight.

Doug Wilson on Parenting Covenant Children - Part One

Jeremiah Thompson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Loving Little Ones I

from BLOG and MABLOG

INTRODUCTION:

The duties of a godly parent are profound and challenging. This is particularly the case when you are dealing with little ones who cannot explain anything to you. They don't know their own heart, and they could not tell you about if they did. We have to get our guidance from Scripture. And like everything else, parenting is completely dependent on the grace of God--but on this subject, it should be immediately obvious to us that we are dependent on the grace of God. But when that grace is operative, what does it look like?

THE TEXTS:

"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well"
(James 2:8). "Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones" (Luke 17:1-2).
OVERVIEW:

The context of James' injunction is interesting. He has just been talking about a biblical refusal to show partiality between rich and poor. And after this statement in our text, he moves on to give a general statement about heart attitudes. "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (v. 13). My particular point here is not the larger social point that James is making, but rather the attitudes that drive it, and what those attitudes look like in the microcosm of the home. In the home, who are the rich and who are the poor? Who is the establishment, and who are the ruled? Who has control of the courts and who does not? And can it be said of parents generally that they love mercy, and that mercy triumphs over judgment?

In the passage from Luke, Jesus warns against stumbling or offending little ones. He attaches one of the most dire warnings in the Bible to this caution (v. 2). Jesus said a lot of things about children that are routinely ignored today, just as the first disciples tended to ignore them. When we stumble or offend little ones, we are not letting mercy triumph over judgment.

DELIGHT:

Parents should always desire to be like God in their relationship to their children. But when we think this, we gravitate to what we think or assume God is like instead of gravitating to what God reveals Himself to be like. Here is the fundamental attitude. "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing" (Zep. 3:17). "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13). Parents who are "evil" frequently are better to their kids than parents who think they are being good by imitating a Cosmic Slavedriver. Delight in your children. Be crazy about them. Don't hold back. They are cuter than everybody else's.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE GARDEN:

But you must take care to structure your delight. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden, He gave them, in principle, the run of the world. There was one thing, and one thing only, that was off limits, and that was one tree in the middle of the Garden. What does this tell you about God's sense of proportion? Which way does He lean?

You are trying to imitate God, not some federal regulatory agency. Keep life simple. Keep the rules simple and easy to memorize. Don't keep changing them, and don't multipy opportunities for disobedience. God had one rule in the Garden, and ten rules at Sinai. The rest of the Old Testament are commentary on those ten rules, which can actually be reduced to two--love God and love your neighbor. I recall vividly the three rules in my father's house when I was growing up--no disobedience, no lying, and no disrespecting your mother. This is the spirit of Scripture.

Make sure there is always a boundary (delight is not indulgence; delight has a backbone), and carefully police that boundary. But don't multiply boundaries. Don't multiply opportunities for disobedience. "Come here. Put on your coat. Put that down. Find your boots. I thought I said to come here!" Reduce the number of commands you issue by about 90%, and then enforce all those commands. Don't exasperate your children (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21). Remember their frame. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:13-14).

DISCIPLINE THAT DELIGHTS:

Yeah, but when does the hammer fall? Doesn't there have to be moral order in the home? Don't we have to have the rule of law around here? Depending on what you mean by putting it this way, probably not. A parent who disciplines effectively is refusing to allow his child to make himself unlovely. "I love you too much to let you do that to yourself." Discipline is corrective, and it is applied for the sake of the one receiving it. It is not punitive, and it is not rendered for the sake of the one giving it.

When you are spanking a child, you are either being selfish or you are being selfless--one or the other. You are doing it because you are exasperated, frustrated, beside yourself, and frazzled, or you are doing it as a fragrant offering to the God of your fathers. An ungodly sentiment can be roughly categorized as, "Take that, you little swine," and a godly sentiment as, "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." What does Scripture say? "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). When you are highly motivated to discipline your kids, you are not qualified. When you are qualified, you don't feel like it.

Discipline, rightly understood, is not an exception to the rule of delight mentioned earlier, it is a principal expression of it. "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons" (Heb. 12:7-8). Refusal to discipline (with the right attitude) is a form of disowning a child. Refusal to discipline (again, with the right attitude) is a form of hatred. "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Prov. 13:24).

All who love, discipline. But it does not follow from this that all who discipline, love. A child must grow up in, be surrounded by, and be nourished in, the love of God revealed for His people in the Word Incarnate and the Word revealed. This is the context in which godly child-rearing occurs, and, outside of which it cannot occur.

WOW ! God is Our Refuge!!!

Jeremiah Thompson — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:10:00 GMT

I am sitting at my desk and I am a little discouraged. I am beginning to become depressed and to feel lost and inadequate. But, then I see my fighter verse pack and realize that I have not been hiding God's Word in my heart as of late. I open it up and began to read through the verses and in God's grace I read Psalm 62:5-8.

What more needs to be said? God is Great and Greatly to be Praised!

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.