Ephesians 4:28-30
Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.
Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Don’t
grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and
breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit
for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When I was teaching
kindergarten, I studied the Assertive Discipline method of classroom
management. Developed by Lee and Marlene Cantor, this model involves
giving students a clear definition of what is expected - and listing the
consequences for noncompliance. The focus is on positive reinforcement
– rewarding and encouraging good behavior in an effort to prevent
missteps. The idea is that children will be so eager to enjoy the
benefits of a positive response from the teacher and his/her peers that
this will deter any desire to misbehave. I have to say, this method
worked for me and my students…and my “discipline problems” in the
classroom all but disappeared.
One of the things that Cantor
teaches is that we must not operate in the realm of “If I see/hear.” In
other words, we must not tell the child, “If I see you do that again, XYZ will happen”…or “If I hear that word one more time…you will have to do ABC.” The child assumes that what you don’t see or hear
doesn’t matter! If he/she can get by with something without you
noticing…it won’t be held against you. Instead, we are to tell the
child, “If you DO THIS again, XYZ will happen.” This tells the child
that you will know what he/she did…and it will matter!
I
can tell you that we adults foolishly play this game all the time with
God. We act as if what we say or do only matters when we get caught or
noticed. If we skate by with something, we smugly tell ourselves that
it didn’t count…that nobody is the wiser. It’s sort of the “no harm/no
foul” concept. But here’s the thing...God ALWAYS knows. He sees and
hears everything we say and do. And so much of it breaks His heart.
You
may not be a “thief” in the literal sense of the word…but you probably
cheat and steal more than you realize. Did you ever slide through a
stop sign and hope nobody would notice? Did you ever talk about
someone…or share a juicy tidbit of “news” with another person and pray
the parties involved would never know who said it? Did you ever express
an ugly opinion about a situation or person – or share a dirty joke -
and preface it with a caveat that you will deny ever saying such things
if repeated? Did you ever do something you knew you shouldn’t and tell
your children- or someone else - never to tell anyone about it?
These
are all ways that we all practice deceit…consciously or not. And while
we may never “get caught” by our friends, family members and
acquaintances…God knows. We grieve His heart on a regular basis. But
we can make changes and do better…and we must! We can ask God to tap us
on the shoulder and give us pause when we open our mouths to say
something unkind, off-color, or disrespectful. We can ask Him to give
us a nudge when we are tempted to be dishonest...to “fudge” a little
here and there or “cut a corner” while no one is looking.
We can
ask God to fill every nook and cranny of our heart with the Holy Spirit –
our “Inner Compass” that guides us and keeps us on the right path. We
can ask God to forgive us and set us upright…and keep us behaving in a
positive manner at all times - toward all people. And we can begin
today…right now…in this very minute! So let’s get started! Are you ready to go “all in” with God?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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