Bible Reading: “I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present the second time, and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that if I come again, I will not spare” 2 Corinthians 13:2 (KJV)
Some years back while I was teaching in a school, I learnt a lesson on how to be firm and affectionate at the same time in the course of disciplining offenders. A colleague in charge of one of the classes for children was indisposed and I had to fill in for her. Prior to that day I have never handled a children class. It was very challenging! The more you are correcting a kid on something another is doing the exact same thing the next minute and waiting to hear you give the same correction even though he saw you earlier correcting his mate!
Matters came to a head when one of the kids who have been keeping me on my toes went to the cupboard after I stepped out and took out his food and started eating even though it was not break time yet. When I got to the class and saw him I only sighed because the kid has been a handful for me that morning. I left him and went out to go report the incident to the Head of the teachers. Big mistake! On getting back a few minutes later, the whole class have brought out their food and were eating already! My not stopping the first kid was perceived as greenlight for all to start eating.
That day I learnt a lesson to this day on how not to handle kids whenever they commit an offense. Even though I was well known for my affection for kids which was why I was chosen to fill in for my colleague, I was not firm in my dealings with them that day. As I would later observe from my colleague in charge of the kids, affection and firmness goes together else you would end up not achieving anything. Kids will always be kids but need someone mature to step in to discipline them when the need arises to make them accountable for their actions.
Paul, in today’s memory verse warns, “I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present the second time, and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that if I come again, I will not spare” 2 Corinthians 13:2 (KJV). No matter how patient the church is with the members, especially the babies among them, a time will come when there will be need to discipline offenders so that they will be accountable for their sin. This is good for the church as a whole. If not, the ways of the world will be brought in fully into the church causing others to stumble.
Discipline here could mean removing or ex-communicating an individual who refuse to give up his old ways. This would help sanitise the church as a whole.
Action point: is there any area(s) of your life you have not truly been conforming to the ways of Christ? you risk affecting the body negatively if you do not change your ways. Ask for help and repent of your sin.
Bro. Worthmore Aghanenu