And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6: 4, NKJV.
Dear God, we give You thanks for our spared lives. We thank You for sound minds that enable us to sit at Your feet and learn of You. Please lead us into all truth. This we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
We have finally come to the second half of this verse: ” . . . [B]ut bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. The KJV renders it as follows: ” . . . but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Emphasis provided. I prefer the sound of this version. Nurture is a much warmer term than train. So I went in search of a term that contained the ideas of both nurturing and training, and I selected the term discipline. Discipline, done well, includes both nurturing and training.
Society has divided up almost everything in life, according to gender. This can be useful if understood and applied correctly, or, it can be harmful, if it encourages stereotyping. Stereotyping limits our growth. Throughout Scripture, we find God leading people onward and upward – encouraging them to grow. I consider stereotyping, or any other practice, that limits the edifying of a human being, harmful; and therefore, not from God.
I have said all of that, to say the following: Many believe that only women nurture. Even if that were the truth, not only women can nurture. Nurturing is something that we can all do. I consider the act of nurturing as providing a support system, that encourages, and makes it possible for human beings to reach their full potential. That can be the result of a combined effort, or, in some cases, the work of one special individual. In society – the home, school, church, and other auxiliary groups, such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Pathfinders Clubs, Mentoring Groups, etc. all play a part in nurturing children and youth. But God has given to parents, the responsibility, of nurturing and disciplining our children in the things of the Lord!
Why is it so important that the work of nurturing be done at home? Because home should be the safest place on earth for a child. We live in a sin-sick world. We live in a world where good is considered evil, and evil, good. The enemy of our souls has changed the price tags on the values and morals of our societies and of the world at large. Peer pressure is so powerful, that, unless our children have internalized certain truths, and values, before leaving home, they are in grave danger of “losing their way.” They must not only know what, they believe, but more importantly, Who, they believe. They must have an intimate knowledge of God; and the home is the best place to receive that education. Parents, and fathers, in particular, as priest of the home, should be the one to introduce his children to God. Dad, if you miss everything else, please do not miss this: Your children need not only to learn about the Savior from you; you might be the first image of God they will see – Please paint a picture of a loving God for them to take as they leave home to go out into the world!
It is so much easier to serve a loving God who is seeking your salvation – out of love; than it is to serve a punitive God who is just waiting for you to make a mistake to condemn you – out of fear. Fathers, children need to respect you, out of love, rather than out of fear. You are most likely, your child’s first picture of God. He or she needs to know that he or she can approach you at any time, for any reason, and that they will not be rejected. They need to know that your love for them is unconditional, and that nothing they do could be so bad that you would ever stop loving them. How much easier it is to accept, and serve, the “God of my father,” under such conditions!
Fathers, by God’s grace, “live what you preach!” The sermons your children see exert a much greater effect on them, than the ones they hear!
NOTE: These counsels are shared from a Biblical, not a clinical, perspective.