Skip to main content

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2016

THEME : FULFILLING GODS PURPOSE? 4

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 LORDmay bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Message
The Bible declared the father as the head of 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 School teachers, pastors, or governmental institutions. Every Children 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 upbringing or discipleship of their children ? Ephesians 6:1-4 gives 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 lean 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 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 of 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 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 choice between the two, children
must obey God rather than man.

Prayer Point :
Father, please make me a successful parents; don't let me fail You over my children.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 14:43-16:8 and Job 21:1-16


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dominion Mandate Daily Devotional February 26, 2016

THEME: RETREAT TO REFRESH READ: Matt. 11:25-30 When some musicians want to release great songs, they retreat to secluded places where they can reflect, meditate and create. Some choose places overlooking the vast oceans, some choose where there are waterfalls, and some choose places with thick forestations.  As they observe the beauty of nature, the swift moves and songs of the soaring birds, the colourful flowering vegetations, the serene beaches and the unending waves of the nearby waters, they capture inspiration that helps them develop the hit songs they have been longing for. I met one of the world’s renowned musicians in Atlanta, USA a few years ago where journalist surrounded him and were asking what he had come to do and why his beards had grown so much. He said that his last album did not perform well enough and he was incubating another one he wanted to release that would perform better. He said that he needed to pull away from the Noise of New York and California ...

A NEW MONTH OF DIVINE ANNOUNCEMENT

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Luke 1:13 The Bible is replete of records on how God announced some events before they finally happened. Because you made it into the new Month, God will specially announce you in Jesus name.  Whenever God want to do something unusual, He first of all announce it, for instance, when He wanted to delivered the children of Israelite from the hand of the philistine whom He has delivered them to, He sent an angel to break the new to the parent of the deliverer - Samson. Judges 13.  When God wanted to turn the hearts of men back to Himself, He sent angel Gabriel to announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father, Zacharias. Also when God was fully ready for the redemption of man, He first announced it to the one whose body His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ will pass through to the earth. Luke 1:26-38. That was the...

Marriage Booster: Do You Still Love Her/Him ?

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; Ephesians 5:25 KJV "This is what I love about you" In the beginning you love everything about him. You are captivated by his six pack, his spirit of adventure, and his lion’s heart. In the beginning you love everything about her. You go crazy with the swing of her hips, a wink or a chewy chocolate cake baked especially for you. One day you wake up. Daily routine has shattered your rose-tinted glasses. “His six pack is not so hot anymore, instead his joints creak with every move.” Or: “It would be better if she swung her hips into a gym one of these days.” You realize: “My partner has changed.” Fortunately! He isn’t standing still. The problem is not the change but rather, that you are a creature of habit. It is your task to rediscover your partner and to simultaneously not forget why you went up the aisle with sparkling eyes to marry your bride/groom. MARRIAGE BOOSTER Write d...