With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. – Jeremiah 27:5

Today's Scripture Reading (August 24, 2026): Jeremiah 27

I sometimes wonder where the line is when it comes to raising our children. I know that beating and physically or mentally harming our children is wrong, and those who are guilty of treating our kids that way need to be stopped. Our children are our most precious possession. However, the reality of the situation is that we can harm our children by being physical with them, but we also harm them by removing our physical contact from them. In other words, there are times when they need our discipline, however it is delivered, and times when they need our praise. One truth I wonder if we have forgotten is that we have been given the important task of shaping the next generation.

So, when a parent says, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it," I understand the emotion even if I disagree with the words. The truth remains that something in the child's behavior is wrong and needs to be corrected. The question that we seem to struggle with is: where is the line?

One of the hardest things to get our hearts around emotionally is that, when we are on the receiving end of discipline, we are still loved. So, our kids scream at us that we hate them. If only they could understand that the opposite is the truth. We love them enough to discipline them and lead them into something beautiful and powerful that they might miss if we just let the behavior go.

I think this verse is God's version of "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." God says, "I created this world, and I can do what I want with it." From the very beginning, what God has wanted is for us to live in this amazing world with a sense of purpose and power. He doesn't want us to be chained to something that will hurt us in the end. So, he brings his discipline into our lives. That discipline doesn't come because God has stopped loving us. God's discipline comes so that we can be effectively shaped to make the most of our future.

Israel was about to enter a time of discipline. Babylon was coming and would take them into exile. There is no doubt it would feel like God had abandoned them. This feeling of abandonment was the reality of "I can do what I want with my world." However, the reason for the exile was that God wanted to do a work in Israel and perform a miracle inside of Babylon.

The line for discipline must always be drawn in love. We might struggle with that, but God doesn't. He understands the relationship between discipline and love, and his discipline is really proof of his love. So, don't be afraid of God's discipline. Use it to make your own life ready for the future because that was what God intended when he brought discipline into your life in the first place.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 28