strong love
May 19, 2009
So why do you scorn My sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give Me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of My people (v.29).
READ: 1 Samuel 2:12-36
You’re being mean!” “Nobody loves me.” As a mom, I’ve heard these words often. Though my children are night and day in personality, they share a common dislike for discipline. After having dealt with numerous “time outs,” I’ve learned that parenting is all about the long-haul (Galatians 6:9). This is a difficult concept to embrace in a drive-thru, self-serve culture.
Central to God’s heart is His selfless consistency. Forever faithful and unchanging, His love stands as a bulwark in the storms of life (Jeremiah 31:3; 1 John 4:9-11). Like the foundation of a structure, in His love boundaries provide great strength. Society wrongfully portrays love as unrestrained permissiveness. Boundaries do not confine; they protect, give life, and demonstrate love (Proverbs 19:18). Because He wants to tell us “yes” to so much, He must sometimes tell us “no.”
God intended for the love of a parent to be a reflection of His love toward us. To raise our children without discipline is to portray a false understanding of the heart of God (Deuteronomy 8:5). A parent must see past the conflict of the moment to the path of truth and righteousness (what is right according to the Word). Parents face the temptation to avoid or to be inconsistent in discipline. The story of Eli and his sons in 1 Samuel 2 reveals the root of giving in to such temptations: self. Eli profited by not dealing with his sons. Though he chastised them for their behavior, he grew fat from their sin (1 Samuel 2:29). Talk is cheap when not followed by action (vv.22-25). Parents serve self when they refuse to discipline their children because they’re too busy, want to avoid confrontation, or care more about being their “friend.”
The greatest demonstration of love is a willingness to die to self for the sake of another. —Regina Franklin
If Jesus were to stand in front of you and say, “Follow Me,” what would you say? What do you need to surrender to Him today?
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