Morning Moments

Dads: Administrators of Discipline
Ephesians 6
1 Children, obey your parents as ⌊you would⌋ the Lord, because this is right.
2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise,
3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

“I’m going to tell your dad when he gets home” is an expression many of us have heard a thousand times or more; but why? Because when we society was more about practicing the Word of God than the mere preaching of it, we understood parental responsibility.

Usually waiting for dad to get home was punishment enough, but NOT anymore. It did not mean that mother ignored the need for punishment, but it meant they worked together, discussed it, let things cool down a bit. Mom was at home where she belonged and dad was at work where he belonged. The waiting itself often prompted contrition. There was no “time out”; there was no need for it.

If we would only do it God’s way! There is no need for yelling and screaming at a child that understands the principles of authority, discipline, and respect. There were curfews and accountability, and a child would call home to let the parents know where they were, and sometimes get permission to be a little late. I’m afraid we are at least two generations past that in our society for the most part.

Most children KNEW that there were well defined boundaries and limitations. Things were not so complicated then; right was right and wrong was wrong and children were taught the difference. Well, Phillips, if things have gotten so out of whack, who is to blame and how can it change?

The Scripture speaks of the “spirit that works in the children of disobedience” as being the devil. None of us are perfect parents, nor were those in past generations, but the difference is that today we are awed by the preacher rather than being awed by the Scripture and the God of the Scripture. We are more interested in increasing our “knowledge” of the Bible than we are our practice of it.

Major Ian Thomas said, “It is not how many times you go through the Bible, but how the Bible goes through you.” We pride ourselves today on “interpretation”. We have become masters of “how to do”, but we fail to do.
Some will agree with my observations and some will not, but if you are not practicing the principles, don’t complain about the outcome.

Children can and should be taught the Scriptures, but not for knowledge sake. They should be taught that parents were given to them because they need them and even if they are teenagers and think they know it all, they DON’T.

Let’s learn the Scripture to live and not merely learn. Let’s demonstrate to our children that the Scripture WORKS and that we WORSHIP the God of the Scripture. Let’s determine to make a difference in our society by training children in the way they should go. The way is narrow and the path is straight. It is not a rigid life but a real life we have in Jesus, and if any of us lacks wisdom, it is available to us by God and by godly counsel. Psychology in general has done more to hurt us that to help us. WE CAN RETURN TO THE OLD WAYS, when we return to the Word of God in our discipline of children.

Dads, don’t wait for someone to offer your leadership in your home…it’s yours…take it.

BLESSINGS!