The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 3:11-14, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, Or loathe His reproof,

12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights

13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.

14 For its profit is better than the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold.”

As accurately as I can recall, my father only punished me once by spanking. Of the four types of personality,

he was phlegmatic. It took a lot to rile him. Don’t get me wrong. He knew right from wrong and he taught me accordingly; he just left the physical discipline to my Mother. And believe me, she handled more than her share!

Somewhere I had read of a boy putting a pie plate in the seat of his pants to absorb the “heat” of spanking. How I

did it without Dad seeing me, I never knew; but, in one sound swat he hit the plate and we both just sat there

and laughed.

The word “discipline” and “disciple” come from the same root. Good parents exert physical punishment in the effort

to produce a good “disciple” (learner). We are not to reject or dispise their disciplinary efforts because they are ultimately to our advantage.

In our verses above, Solomon is speaking of the LORD’s discipline. The LORD disciplines out of love. Good parents mimic the LORD, and discipline out of love, as well. I do believe that verse 13 is given in reference to the one who was disciplined in those earlier verses. Through physical discipline, he has found wisdom and understanding. And as the years fly rapidly by, he values the teaching that discipline brought him far more than he values monetary gain.

Our world today lays little stress on discipline of any sort for any reason. We have been lulled to sleep by the avalanche of distractions that surround us. I read from men who quote the classics; but I don’t quote the classics.

My discipline is sorely lacking when measured by those from the non-technological era. Children in the American

Colonies were taught Greek and Latin, in addition to Scripture and the classics. They seemed to hunger for more.

Many kids today brag about how they “got through” school without studying. Who do they thing the loser was?

Don’t let “things” masquerade as valuable. Study to show yourself approved unto God. There will come a day when

you will be glad you did!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need until He becomes all that we have.”