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“Wait Until Your Father Gets Home!”

Thoughts for Today:

When I was a boy, my father's job required a lot of travel. This placed a lot of the disciplinary requirement for raising four children squarely upon the shoulders of my mother. We were all pretty good kids, but there were still moments when we would become unruly, especially as we grew older and my mother's physical threats didn't carry the same weight. I remember one time when my younger brother did something that justified a spanking -- yet he ran from her and laughed, rather than accept the punishment. In frustration, my mother sat down with the four of us and asked us to be more obedient. She said, "You know your father won't tolerate your behavior. So if you don't obey, just wait until he gets home; you will wish you had been better!" Unfortunately, we didn't heed her advice. As a result, when my father returned from his trip, we all received spankings that were no laughing matter. Needless to say, from that point on, we were a lot more obedient.

Today, as a parent myself, I look back on that event and realize the last thing my father wanted to do was to come home to discipline his children for their poor behavior during his absence. He would have rather celebrated the joy of home, and being present with his family.

In our passage today, I think it is similar to what Paul is trying to avoid in Corinth: He's heard they are still not in compliance with his previous letter (1 Corinthians), so he doesn't want to return too early and be forced to chastise them in person. Paul wanted to give them every opportunity to voluntarily bring their behavior into order. Although he was patient, it is also important to understand that Paul was not going to ignore their poor behavior, nor would he tolerate anything less than full compliance.

Questions to Ponder:

Is there a part of your behavior that needs to change? What do you need to bring into compliance with the Lord's Word? Are you testing His patience? Will you begin the process of obedience today?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.