Bible
Helpfully, God’s Word provides us with an outline for a fatherly workout —in one pungent sentence: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, BRING THEM UP IN THE TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION OF THE LORD” (Ephesians 6:4). This outline is easiest remembered as a “do not” and a “do.” The “do not” is: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children”; the “do” is: “instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Fatherhood’s “Do Nots” The “do not” is perfectly clear, because it literally means, “do not provoke your children to anger so they begin to seethe with resentment and irritation.”
The New English Bible captures the idea very well: “You fathers, again, must not goad your children to resentment.” The directness and simplicity of this “do not” invites us to do some honest thinking about the ways we goad our children to exasperation. It is a delicate balance for great successful fatherhood. We have witnessed in our times, and in ages past as evidenced in Scriptures, great anointed men of God excelling in society’s leadership/ Kingship, but utterly failing when it comes to fatherhood. May the good Lord, Christ Jesus help us.
Fathers who criticize their children often bring them to discouragement. The parallel version of this “do not” in Colossians 3:21 indicates that children embittered by nagging and deriding “lose heart” (NASB) — like a horse that has had its spirit broken. You can see it in the way a horse moves, and you can see it in the eyes and posture of a disheartened child. Some fathers exasperate their children by being overly strict and controlling. They need to remember that rearing children is like holding a wet bar of soap — too firm a grasp and it shoots from your hand, too loose a grip and it slides away. A gentle but firm hold keeps you in control.
GOD HELP US THE MORE, FOR HE IS ABLE
References:
The Living Bible
Discipline of a Godly Man( Book by Kent Hughes)
Evangelist Eric Musa:
(My message continuously: If you are not saved: Believe, accept, receive and confess Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and be filled with the Holy Spirit, as it is written; “NOW is the acceptable time, TODAY is the day of SALVATION.- 2 Cor 6:2”. For prayers, devotion, and to support the ministry contact Evangelist on +254722157300 ( Email: EMEA.ericmusa@gmail.com). Remember, God Loves you and I unconditionally, perfectly and always: SHALOM
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