Consequences Belong to You WEEK 5 - PART 3

Learning the Word of God and putting it in your heart is always time well spent.

So continue to be diligent in practicing and reciting our Bible verses.

Cover the brown words below with your hand and try to say Galatians 6:7.

Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. A man will reap exactly what he plants. Galatians 6:7

Concerning consequences:

You may have heard some of these sayings:

"What goes around comes around."

"You get what you deserve."

 "You reap what you sow."

It is important to understand that the person who makes a choice deserves the consequence. For instance, if you make a choice, it is not your parent's fault if you receive a consequence. Remember that consequences are directly related to your own choices.

Look in the glossary of your spiral and find the definition for AUTHORITY.

Authority is the power or right to give orders, 

make decisions, and enforce obedience

When God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden as a consequence for their disobedience, He had the authority to do that because He is God. Each of us needs to learn that going against God is foolish and choosing disobedience has consequences.

Consider Jonah's consequences. Choose the LISTEN IN BROWSER option.

God had the authority (He is the top authority) to send a big fish to swallow Jonah. Isn't it strange that Jonah's life was saved by the consequence that God sent? Yep, God is often like that!

In much the same way, your parents have authority to give you consequences because they are responsible for you. God gave them that authority when He sent you to them. Even if you are adopted, God put you in your family and gave your parents authority over you. You and your siblings are under their authority.

Arguing About or Trying to Avoid Consequences

Sometimes you will be tempted to argue and quarrel with the person who is giving you the consequence you deserve. This might include teachers, babysitters, coaches, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. But before you argue remember that you made a choice and now you are receiving your just consequence. God wants you to respectfully accept the consequences for your choices without arguing or quarreling. This is how He grows us up into spiritual maturity.

• Parents have authority in the family. 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3

• Church leaders have authority in the church. 

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. Titus 3:1-2

• Police, school officials, or lawmakers have authority in the government.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. Romans 12:1-7

You may also be tempted to use excuses to get out of your consequences. A typical excuse is, "I forgot." Sometimes you will forget, but hopefully you will learn to be more careful to remember in the future. 

Consequences are necessary to help you to remember to change bad choices to good ones. God loves you too much to let you do whatever you want, and He promises that His children will have consequences for disobeying His Word. 

Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. A man will reap exactly what he plants. Galatians 6:7

CHANGING YOUR CONSEQUENCES 

When you are receiving a bad consequence (like discipline or punishment) from a person in authority, you will probably not feel happy about it. You may even feel that the person does not love or understand you. Always remember that your choices belong to you. If you don't like your consequences, you can change your choices.

The purpose of loving discipline is to help you to grow in holiness and self-discipline. You must understand that the person who properly disciplines you really loves you. (C. Sande, pp. 56-57.)

These verses might help you make good choices:

• My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
      and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
      and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.   Proverbs 3:11-12
• Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.   Galatians 6:9
• He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
      And what does the Lord require of you?
        To act justly and to love mercy
      and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8
• Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.    Ephesians 4:29
• So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.   Acts 24:16
• I can do all this through him who gives me strength.   Philippians 4:13

Look in your booklet on page 3-6 and pray the closing prayer out loud.

Role Play Activity: Part 1 You are a parent. Your daughter has disobeyed you by going to a friend's house instead of coming home to babysit. She has not called you to let you know where she is. You need to decide what kind of consequences would be appropriate for her choice. Think of at least three different examples.

Part 2  You have disobeyed your parents by going to a friend's house instead of coming home to babysit. You have not called to let them know where you are. When you come home, they tell you that you have lost the privilege of going to your friend's birthday party the next day. Act out a right and a wrong way that you can respond to this consequence.

NOTE TO PARENTS: Explain to your children that they need to obey only what is consistent with God's Word. They never need to obey a person who tells them to sin. If they are unsure whether to obey or not, it would be good for them to get advice from someone else.

Sande, Corlette. The Young Peace Maker Teaching Students to Respond to Conflict God’s Way, Illustrated by Russ Flint, Wapwallopen, PA 18660, Shepherd Press, 1997.