Called By The Lord

I often meet people who wonder what their calling is or what the Lord wants them to do.

Even more often they have an idea of what they want to do, though, and they haven't really discovered if that is the Lord's calling for their life. I find kids that want to be pastors because their parents are, or worship leaders because a singer affected them greatly at some point in their life, or a missionary as it is a glorious work for the Lord.

But when we step back and look at it all works are glorious works for the Lord if that is what the Lord is calling you to do. Some are called to be missionaries, some evangelists, some teachers, some preachers, but all are called to serve. Some are a support group for others and some are witnesses in their everyday lives.

Even when I was in public school I often had chances to witness to others, often they were watching my actions as a "Christian" and were affected without my knowledge. Mainly I tried to minister to my friends as many of them weren't Christians but when I look at my life I realize the times I had the most effect, or really any effect at all was when I was doing what the Lord wanted, whether it was what I wanted or not.

Don't worry about what others think, especially not others in the church. It may not make sense to them and honestly sometimes your brothers and sisters in Christ can be the most condemning.

The Lord knows more than any of us and if He is calling you to do it then that is what you need to do. The Lord is the only one that will ALWAYS come through for you.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" ~Philippians 1:6, KJV

Spanking Children

I am tired of the idea that if you spank your children you don't love them or you are abusing them. There is a difference between hitting your child abusively and spanking them as a form of discipline

Even time outs or telling your children to go to their room can be abuse if it becomes abandonment or neglect. The key is that the punishment fits the crime and isn't done out of anger or any emotion of that nature but is done as an equal and opposing reaction to the wrongful act that has been committed.

If you are a Christian the Bible even encourages you to discipline your children:

Proverbs 13:24:

"He that spare the rod hateth his son: but he that Loves him chasteneth him betimes."

Hebrews 12:11:

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Proverbs 22:15:

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."

There are numerous other verses in Proverbs about spanking. 

I also believe that for spanking to be effective and discipline instead of abuse is for the child to understand. You have to make sure they understand why they are being spanked or in their mind you just hit them for no reason. 

HOWEVER, I also am not an advocate that spanking is necessarily the only way to discipline a child. As mentioned earlier, the punishment needs to be equal to the wrongdoing. I also think your child can grow up to be a great person by being disciplined in some way other than spanking.  The important thing is that they are disciplined accordingly.