Monday Moral Dilemma Devotional #6
This is another in our series of moral dilemma’s to help your family talk about demonstrating their faith in everyday circumstances.
Helen lied to her parents about something. It wasn’t the first time. She felt really bad about it and she apologized. But she knew that this had been a pattern for her.
Her parents asked for a minute to talk in private to discuss what the consequences of her lies would be.
In the past, they always forgave her and challenged her to do better. Sometimes Helen’s parents had punished her. Sometimes they had not. For punishment, they had sometimes taken away privileges, sometimes they’d prevented her from going to events she’d been looking forward to, and sometimes they’d taken away some of the things she owned that she loved.
Helen was hoping that they would extend her grace. She really hoped they would not punish her this time. She knew that God taught about grace and mercy. But she also knew that God was a God of justice and was right to discipline those he loved in order to call them to repentance and to grow them to be more like him.
How do you think Helen is feeling?
How do you think her parents are feeling?
What do you think Helen will be tempted to do next? What are her choices?
What do you think her parents will want to do next? What are their choices?
What do you think Helen should do?
What do you think her parents should do?
Consider these verses and how they apply to this situation.
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.”
Hebrews 12:7-11 “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”