The Firm Directions of Good Fathers
The Firm Directions of Good Fathers
The Good Parent Disciplines, and Gives Not Just General Rules, but Also Detailed Instructions.
Back when was very bitter towards G-d, I wondered as Solomon did, why the wicked seem to get away with their evil, while the righteous often have tough times for years, or even perish. Particularly, why my Dad who was a drug addict and alcoholic lived on, while my mom, who drug us to Church, and didn'teven so much as drink, curse, or smoke, was taken when I was 14. I didn't understand at the time that the Righteous perish to spare them the evilness of days ahead (Isaiah 57:1), and another Biblical principle.
G-d loves His Children, therefore He gives them rules to live by and allows them to experience the natural consequences of breaking those Rules, as well as Spiritually Disciplining them (Deuteronomy 30). He even sends our older brothers and sisters such as David and Ruth to tell us about the goodness of living by the Father's Rules instead of following our own way (Psalm 119), Book of Ruth.
Satan on the other hand, allows his children to live in Lawlessness, and to experience both the temporary pleasures and the more permanent harm that comes from that lifestyle. Satan doesn't care how you end up in the end, as long as you follow his philosophy, or that of one of his appointees, for the moment. In the end you will hate him, but that doesn't matter. He never speaks about the consequences, his children only make music videos and tell stories that make lawlessness look like a lifelong party.
G-d is a good father, while Satan is more like a gang leader. G-d desires your permanent good, a long and fruitful life, character development so you can be trusted to carry about His business for eternity (Matthew 5:17-19). He wants you to know His rules, to live by them out of fear of the consequences, love for Him, and Trust in His Wisdom over your own.
Satan doesn't discipline his kids. He doesn't care if they die early, lead a fruitless life, or if they go to hell, and if they do get to heaven, he wants to make sure they are least of all in the Kingdom because they couldn't be trusted to keep and teach G-d's Laws (Matthew 5:17-19). Satan tells his kids that they are smart enough, wise enough, experienced enough, and in their core, GOOD enough to make their own decisions and lead their own lives.
The choice was made in the Garden of Good and Evil, almost a custody battle for mankind, and we got to choose which parent we wanted to live with. G-d said we must follow His rules to live with Him, but we would be blessed. Satan said we can eat of the tree of the knowing Good and Evil for ourselves, that we don't need G-d's rules to be happy, we can make our own. We make the wrong choice. But ever since then G-d has been trying to call us home, but man wants to return to G-d's House, but still not keep any of His rules that they don't like or understand-just like snotty teenagers who think they are all knowing and all wise. G-d lets us get enough of the consequences of living life without His Laws that we figure out that we don't know everything and Satan really isn't concerned about our well-being. Hopefully, we also understand that G-d's Kingdom is lived by His Rules, because its His Roof (His Covering, and if we wish to remain under the Spiritual Covering, we must follow His Law, which is Spiritual-ofcourse, Christ gets us under the covering in the first place), and we can't pick and choose which House Rules we like and understand.
A good parents gives the child rules they can live by not just as children, but as mature adults. The good parent has standards that develop character, the good parent disciplines. A bad parent does none of these things, they get adoration from the child by bribery and false promises, and then leave them to figure out life on their own.
Here is another huge difference.
G-d gives you Principles and Specifics on how to live them. He doesn't just say "Love your neighbor, Be a Good Boy, and Respect your Parents" and then leave you wondering how you do that.
He gave us Commands that explain in detail how we are to love Him, love our neighbors, and develop character in ourselves. His letter to us tells us how to handle money, relationships, worship, diet, holidays, property, business, and even run a government. In the picture above, the Dad wouldn't just say "rope that cow son, and if you don't you'll be disciplined" No. He gives the child detailed instructions on how to tie the knot, how to stand, the proper attitude and mindset to have, which boots to wear, and ofcourse the child won't undertstand the reason for many of it, but that doesn't mean those things aren't vitally important and can just be ignored.
Satan's mantra can be best expressed by some of his servants. A famous song by the Beatles for example (who wrote their song "Sgt. Pepper" based on Alleister Crowley, the world's most famous Satanist who raped over 300 young boys and whose disciple founded the Man Boy Love Association, the Beatles even put Crowley on the album cover and it was released on the 20th anniversary of his death. He is the white bald guy on the back row-check out the documentary "They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll'). Their song was "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE".
With this song as a Mantra, we find the "Free Love" movement producing countless fatherless children, AIDS cases, divorces, and gay marriage becoming commonplace. If "All You Need Is Love" and mankind can decide for himself how to love G-d and his neighbor, then man invents some twisted things. For example, you are full of "Hate" if you don't support gay marriage. And since Jesus supposedly said that we need only to "Love each other" then you aren't a Christian if you don't "Love" homosexuals by supporting gay marriage, because Jesus did away with all those "old" Testament Laws, and sent Jesus to make us "Free' to sin (break G-d's Law, 1st John 3:4).
A Good parents gives noble ideas, core values, and practical ways to express them. You wouldn't tell a child to behave, without telling and showing them what that includes. You wouldn't tell a teenager "Be careful" when they go out without warning them about driving too fast, riding with strangers, getting drunk at parties, and other things. And as adults, if they had any faith in you at all, they will follow these same rules.
Now Satan isn't a good parent, he just tells his children to "Love" and "Make Love not War". And gives them no practical rules for living. Therefore his children live in confusion. When chaos ensues, he tries to put the blame on Jesus by saying that Jesus taught "Love" with the Commands that explain how to do so.
Satan tries to play like divorced parents, making G-d to be the bad guy for having rules, and pretending to be the "good parent" who teaches them to them do things that the true good parent will have to discipline the child for.
The good parent guides us down the road of life, using His Written Word (Commands) His Spirit, and His Example, to keep us from wandering off the right or to the left, or hitting the potholes, or ramming the car in front of us. He ropes us in with discipline (chords of human kindness). He doesn't just tell us "Love". He wrote us an extensive letter telling us how to Love Him and our Siblings, He communicates with us via prayer and His Spirit on how to apply the letter to specific situations, and He gave us His example. And then He disciplines us if we ignored all or part of that somehow.
Satan doesn't discipline, he just lets his kids suffer the natural and spiritual consequences without any warnings that would ruin the party, any rules that wouldn't be popular or that a spiritual adolescent couldn't grasp and would have to obey simply through faith in the wisdom and goodness of the father. He gives lofty principles alone, with more than enough room to hang oneself with the chords of good intentions and stupid actions.
"You've Got To Stand for Something, Or You'll Fall for Anything" by Aaron Tippin
Watch and Listen:
http://www.youtube.com/
Lyrics:
Now Daddy didn't like trouble, but if it came along
Everyone that knew him knew which side that he'd be on
He never was a hero, or this county's shinin' light
But you could always find him standing up
For what he thought was right
He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
Now we might have been better off or owned a bigger house
If Daddy had done more givin' in or a little more backing down
But we always had plenty just living his advice
Whatever you do today you'll have to sleep with tonight
He'd say you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
Now I know that things are different than they were in Daddy's days
But I still believe what makes a man really hasn't changed
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything
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