WHAT IS THE WORTH OF LOVE AND SELF-DISCIPLINE? FATHER?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
WHAT IS MOSES’ WORTH? DEPENDS? LOOK AT SOME LIFE CHANGING EVENTS THAT PREPARES MOSES FOR HIS JOURNEY AHEAD.
In Moses first 40 years at home and in the palace of Pharaoh, Moses thought he was a big shot and a WHO-WHO! Then Moses’ journey leads him to the BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT, stepping in sheep stuff, PACKING HIS BROWN BAG LUNCH AND WORKING ALL DAY. Moses thought HE WAS NOTHING, a failure, what might he have done if he had made different choices?
THERE WAS A BEGINNING OF A CHANGE IN MOSES AS HE MEETS JETHRO. Moses marries ZIPPORAH and God is beginning a new journey for Moses. One life changing event was when MOSES HAD TWO SONS. THESE TWO SONS ---GERSHOM and ELIEZER … GAVE THEIR DAD A NEW APPRECIATION OF LIFE.
Moses worth would forever be changed in the backside of the desert and two sons. One morning he kissed his wife and went out in the field as he had many times before. MOSES MAY HAVE LEARNED IN HIS SECOND 40 YEARS HOW TO BE A GOOD HUSBAND AND FATHER. THE CRUEL DESERT TAUGHT MOSES “HE WAS A NOBODY.”
Life will forever change in the backside of the desert: Husband and Dad has an encounter with GOD… MOSES LEARNED ALL GROUND IS HOLY.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground..
WHAT IS THE WORTH OF MOSES AS A HUSBAND AND A FATHER IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE? WHAT DO YOU HAVE? A ROD… A MAN THAT HAD EVERYTHING THEN REDUCED TO A MAN THAT HAD NOTHING… BUT A ROD…
Exodus 4:2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
FATHER GOD HAD A PLAN FOR THIS FATHER, FATHER OF TWO SONS, BUT FATHER OF DELIVERANCE… FROM EVERYTHING TO NOTHING TO LEARN THAT “GOD WAS EVERYTHING!” THE JOURNEY MAY SEEM STRANGE AND TWISTED --- BUT GOD! BUT THE ROD OF GOD?
Exodus 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
WE CAN NEVER UNDER VALUE THE ROLE OF THE FATHER IN THE JOURNEY TO FIND GOD’S PLAN. HERE WE ARE NOT DISCUSSING MAN, BUT THE PLAN OF GOD.
WE HAVE TWO DUTIES OR RESPONSIBILTIES TO OUR PARENTS:
1. TO OBEY OUR PARENTS IN THE LORD…
2. TO HONOR THEM
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
It is right to obey and honor our parents. This is more than a suggestion this is a commandment whether we agree with it or not. God promises blessings to those that obey and honor their parents.
THERE ARE TWO COMMANDMENTS FOR FATHERS (PARENTS) TO FOLLOW.
Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
1. Provoke not your children to wrath… anger… As a parent it can be easy to be harsh, hard, ANGRY. Even at times a parent can become mean and lack understanding. My opinion God is talking to parents in general.
2. A bad parent can get BENT ON PUNISHMENT. Punishment can be a type of REVENGE. Punishment can make a child feel like they are a “BAD CHILD!” It makes them feel GUILTY and STUPID. Now hear me there is a correct time for punishment. Punishment to often can cause the child to feel like the parents hates them. Punishment seems to stay NEGATIVE IN NATURE.
3. There is a better tool for parents to use than punishment.… GOD THE FATHER KNOWS CORRECTION or DISCIPLINE. I think a good parent learns the difference between PUNISHMENT and CORRECTION.
*PUNISH: inflict penalty as retribution for an offense, to treat someone harsh. This can be corporal punishment or harsh verbal reprimands, to inflict hurt.
*CORRECT: a change that makes things right, rehabilitation, to put right, a change that rectifies an error.
*DISCIPLINE: to train, to learn better ways, to learn submission, to discipline can have several purposes. It can be preventive, supportive and corrective. Discipline is much like WEEDING OUT THE TARES THAT WILL CHOKE OUT HEALTHY GROWTH. TO DESTROY HARMFUL BEHAVIOR AND LEAVING THE GOOD. Discipline’s aim is to teach and stay POSITIVE. Discipline can identify your goals and AIM HIGH.
Self- Discipline teaches us to focus and get organized. We tend to lack SELF-DISCIPLINE THAT FEEDS BAD HABITS… smoking, drug dependence, alcohol, obesity that can shorten life spans?
*CHASTEN. Discipline teaches us that there are CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR BEHAVIOR.
GOD CHASTENS AND DISCIPLINES THOSE THAT HE LOVES… BECAUSE GOD IS OUR FATHER.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
PARENTS MUST LEARN AND TEACH WHAT GODLY SELF DISCIPLINE CAN DO FOR THEIR HOME AND FOR THEIR CHILDREN. COME LET US CONSIDER WHAT SELF DISCIPLINE CAN DO TO CHANGE THE VALUE OF ONE’S DAILY LIFE…
Place a guitar in my hands and it is worth $300. Put a guitar in the hands of B.B. Kings it is worth $5,000 dollars. Put a guitar in the hands of ELVIS PRESLEY and we are looking at 1,000,000.00 bucks from a dead man?
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.00. A baseball in Mark McGuire’s hands can be worth about 19 million dollars. Discipline?
If we take a tennis racquet in our hands it is worth $90. Let us put the tennis racquet in the hands of the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena.) The tennis racquet of discipline has allowed the Williams sisters to dominate female tennis. Venus has made 41.8 million, Serena has made 92.7 million dollars. Their tennis careers have earned almost 200 million dollars all because of self-discipline.
A basketball in my hands is worth $19? A basketball signed by Michael Jordan is worth around $900 to $1,000. In the hands of Michael Jordan is worth about 33 Million dollars. Discipline?
A smooth stone, 5 smooth stones in your pocket may be worth $2.00. Put the smooth stones in a young man’s pocket as he faces the GIANT… He changes the song on the radio station: SAUL HAS SLAIN HIS THOUSANDS, DAVID HAS SLAIN HIS TEN THOUSANDS. A SHEPHERD BOY WAS FOREVER CHANGED BY ONE OF THOSE FIVE STONES… discipline?
Put two minnows and a few biscuits in a small boys hands and you have lunch. Put the same lunch in the hands of Jesus and you feed thousands of men, women, boys and girls. Discipline?
Jesus spit in the mud, rubbed it in a blind man’s eyes and tell him, now go wash? SIGHT RETURNS!
Place three nails in my hands and I can could nail two boards together. PLACE THREE NAILS IN THE HANDS OF THE SON OF GOD AND YOU CAN CHANGE DRUG ADDICTS, Discipline?
CONCLUSION: Come and see the value of teaching correction and self-discipline and see what God could do as we TAKE OUR HANDS and place all our fears, worries, failures, disappointments, hurts, scars, dreams and hopes in the hand of a mighty God…
Psalm 68:1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
You read this because I have self-discipline? Have you practiced self-discipline? Change a rod to the rod?
