FULFILLING GOD’S
PURPOSE IV
Memorise: And, ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath: but bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4
Read:
Genesis 18:17-19, 17 And the Lord said,
Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty
nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to
do justice and judgment; that the Lord may
bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Bible in one year: Mark 14:43-16:8, Job 21:1-16
MESSAGE!!!
The Bible declared the
father as the head of the home – head of the mother and the children. As such,
fathers have complete authority within the household to direct the affairs of
the family, and to administer discipline when necessary. However, Apostle Paul
admonishes that fathers should handle authority over their children with care;
they are to be careful not to provoke their children to wrath. Some fathers are
guilty of using their authority unreasonably in ways that cause their children
to harbour resentment. However, fathers have the responsibility to bring their
children up in the way of the Lord. In many cultures today, parents have
submitted and completely relinquished their God given responsibility to raise
godly children to school teachers, Sunday schools teachers, pastors, or
governmental institutions. Every Christian parent should know that God will
hold them responsible for the success or failure of their wards. Children are
God’s heritage, we have an awesome responsibility and authority over them, we
are responsible for them before God, and we will surely render our account to
God over them.
Are there any
particular reason(s) why parents, particularly fathers, are called by God to
play such a crucial, God ordained role in the unbringing or discipleship of
their children? Ephesians 6:1-4 given us
a clue.
“Children, obey your
parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is
the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou
mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers provoke not your children to
wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”.
God knows that from
childhood, little children gradually learn to love and trust their parents
because of the relationship they have. Children normally grow up to receive
love and care from their parents in the form of feeding, clothing, washing, and
protection from cold and other harmful circumstances. Therefore children
naturally gravitate towards their parents. For the same reasons, children are
more likely to learn the ways and manners of their parents by default. Most
children would choose to learn from their parents because parents are the first
heroes’ children. God in His wisdom is fully aware of these factors; He
therefore designed the family to take advantage of the opportunity provided by
nature.
The Bible provides a
very good balance here; children are to obey their parents, while parents are
to treat their children with respect so that they will obey them without
coercion. God expects children to obey their parents for Christ’s sake, even if
their parents are not believers. Also, children should not commit any sinful
act just because their parents command them to. When faced with a choice
between the two, children must obey God rather then man.
Prayer Point
Father, please make me a successful parent;
don’t let me fail You over my children.
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