Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
A GOOD START
There he was, apparently ready for school. But six-year-old boys need to be inspected before they're allowed to be seen in public. Sure enough, there was something about his shirt that looked funny. He had gotten the first button wrong, and therefore all the other ones ended up wrong as well.
It's not a big deal to start over with a shirt. But how difficult to start over with a life. Without a good beginning to life, a child will often will grown into a miserable adult as well as someone who makes life miserable for others.
Getting my son off to a good start meant, first of all, baptism, with a continuing, steady diet of God's Word to follow. A good beginning to life also means setting a good spiritual example for my son. He watches me very closely everyday. He can tell if Jesus is really the most important person in my life or not.
I'm a dad. As a dad I'm chiefly responsible for the spiritual training of my son. His Mom, of course, plays a vital role in all this. Yet it's to me the Lord says, ". . . bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
I'm not a very good father. I must cling to Christ's forgiveness everyday for my many failures as a dad. I must pray to my Heavenly Father for help to get that vital first spiritual button right for my son. For Christ's sake He hears my prayer. I know He forgives me. I know His help is always there for me.
May His Spirit and Word turn the hearts of all dads toward their children in true Christ-like love. May He help me and all dads love our children the way He, our Heavenly Father, loves us. With Him we can get our children off to a good start.
