FULFILLING
GOD’S PURPOSE IV
Memorise:
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them
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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