But bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
 
--Ephesians 6:4

As parents, not only are you and I to encourage our children when they do something good, be we are also supposed to discourage them from doing wrong. God’s Word tells us to discipline and train our children.

If you are a parent, it is your responsibility to set parameters for your child and, if necessary, discipline them when they go out of bounds. Kids tend to run out of bounds and in the wrong direction without someone to “redirect.”

You and I are to set them on the right path and prepare them for the real world. Discipline is part of that preparation. And if we fail, it’s a sin against God.

Remember Eli in the Old Testament? God judged him along with his entire household. “And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them” (1 Samuel 3:13).

To discipline your child means to bring them under submission. Here are a couple of challenges from God’s Word for parents:

• Discipline your children out of love. The purpose of discipline is to prepare your child for success. Never discipline out of anger. Follow God’s example. “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Hebrews 12:6).

• Start early. The earlier you begin training, the less discipline you will have to enforce later. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24).

Training your child is so critical that Scripture says when you discipline your child, “you will save his soul” (Proverbs 23:14).

DISCIPLINE SETS YOUR KIDS ON THE RIGHT PATH AND PREPARES THEM FOR THE REAL WORLD.