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DEVOTION

PROVERBS

LIVE FREE

Prov 22:15

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

NIV

This has to be where that saying, spare the rod, spoil the child, is based on. The idea here is that not merely is folly bound up, but it is chained heavily in the heart of a child. This is to say it is within the very nature of children to act foolishly or in silliness. It would seem we are being told that we need to apply the rod of correction so that we take away that foolishness from our children. It almost makes us think we should not allow our children to be children. It seems to tell us we need to crack the whip, break the spirit of funning around and make them into little adults. This is not to say children do not need disciple, for surely without any direction or correction, they will run rampant and never become useful adults to God, or society for that matter. Children surely need the hand of correction from parents. We are told that it is the responsibly of the father to disciple his children.

Eph 6:4

4 Fathers , do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

NIV  

Of course we should not exasperate them, but they need correction and to be trained in the ways of the Lord. This certainly means more than just taking them to church so the Sunday school teacher can give them something to draw while giving them a little bible lesson. This is the father engaged in the lives of his children. It is not being a hard man with a whip, but a loving father showing them how God loves them. It would seem this is of course while they are children and within the home of the parents. Once adulthood has been reached it is most difficult to apply the rod of correction. But we should not ruin the heart of the children either while they are with us. Let children have fun. Let them be children. It seems in some cultures the child is made to grow up way to fast, or used too soon for family labor, thus stripping them of those precious youthful years. But they need guidance, training, correction in the way of life. They fun can be fun, but it should not be sinful as the word folly or silliness would imply in respect to God. They can still be children enjoying being children but have the respect and mindfulness of God in their lives. For some of us, that time of life has escaped us. For some of us it is just beginning. But there also is something here for us all. As we are the children of God. He, being our Father needs to correct our folly, our silliness. He gives us the proper guidance, direction, correction we need in order not to have our heart chained to folly or sinfulness. When God declared man’s heart is bent toward evil all the time, it reveals to us he certainly knows our heart. If we think our heart is that pure, that holy, that upright that it never ever thinks an evil thought, then we have lost sight of God, and are focused on self-righteousness. This is something we should never do. We know our own heart and although it may not be absolutely chained to folly, it has strong ties to folly. This may be the war that wages within. We want to do that which is right, but we don’t, not all the time anyway. We may not want to do that which is not right, but we still do, at least some of the time. Maybe not all the time, maybe not bent continually toward folly or sin, but not totally free of it either. So God disciples us, not with the whip of punishment, but with the hand of a loving Father. God does correct us, he does give us the way we should go. Sometimes we think he punishes us, but that is not so, we are in Christ. He took all the punishment for us. He took the stick, the branch of the tree for us. But we should know our heart has folly in it. God has given us everything we need to loss any bindings our heart has toward folly. Let us allow him to break every fetter. He is the author and the perfecter of our faith. He lives within us and so we can live free.