Class two will be posted tomorrow night.
Have you done your homework?
I have one more thing for you to think about.
Are you a good judge? Can you step back from any situation no matter how difficult and judge the details of that confrontation properly?
Did you know that to be a good parent you must be a fair and balanced Judge?
But Debbie.....I'm a Christian and I've been taught not to Judge.
Sorry....but being a good Christian means that you must judge. And, the verse on judging is taken completely out of context.
Leviticus 19:15 "'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
Deuteronomy 1:16-17 And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.
And the common verse used to stop all judging....
Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
Ahhh.....but here's the rub. If you continue reading you will find that it's not about judging - it's about judging fairly. Verse 2 says...."For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
The meaning of this verse goes back to the parable in Matthew 18:24-35 Jesus told a story about compassion, forgiveness and improperly judging a friend.
A man began a settlement. A man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
With over 153 verses that mention the word "judge" there is ample teaching about "how" to judge properly. It's not that we aren't allowed to judge. We must judge right from wrong every day of our lives - and often that involves looking at the lives of other people. GOD's directive is that we judge properly. We must be free of malice and we must take all sides of information into consideration.
So.....tonight I want you to take a piece of paper and write down 10 families that you know. Beside their names I want you to write down the pros and cons of their parenting skills and the results of those skills. This is not to be done with any malice or any hatred. Do it as a learning experience.
Ask yourself all kinds of questions. Ask yourself if that's the way you want to be perceived as a parent. Ask yourself if you want the same results that parent achieved. Ask if your children are anything like other good children or bad children. Be honest. Be fair and get the information you need to begin to draw a plan for your family.
You can't possibly avoid problems in your own family if you can't spot signs of trouble in other families.
Begin to formulate an idea of exactly what kind of tone you want to pursue in your home. How do you want to look to your spouse, your children, your in-laws? How do you want your pastor to see your home? Is your home representative of Christ? Would he feel comfortable staying with you? Would Christ hold you up as an example in the same way he felt about his own earthly family?
Lots to think about.....
Seeking His Wisdom,
Debbie
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