You'll Be Tested on This

Last night I read something in my devotions that I thought was so good I just had to share it.  Maybe you need to hear it and maybe you don't, but it's good information either way.  The title was "You'll Be Tested on This" and it comes from the book Blessed Every Day: Wisdom Writings For Women.

     Decisions made in the name of the Lord should always be for the purpose of  kingdom building.  For example, if you must correct someone's behavior, will they be a better person when you leave them, than they were before you addressed the situation?  If not, then perhaps you told them too much about how you feel about the matter and not enough about what God's Word says.  Just maybe you were focused too much on saving yourself embarrassment and not enough on restoring the other person without losing face.

     Make no mistake about it, there will be a test and the only way to assure that you pass it, is to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15)

I think this is good advice for any parent raising children and should be applied every time we discipline them. Are they a better person when you leave them than they were before you addressed the situation?  Do we use the same patience, love and forgiveness with our children when we deal with them that our Heavenly Father uses with us when He deals with us? We will be tested on this.

Just something to think about...