Today we continue the devotional Father Like The Father. I appreciate God’s leading and sorting of articles so that the topics and instruction we can get around be the dads are on point and speak the truth in love. I have been blessed with my interaction with them as they gave guidance and support for my posts. Bible.com introduces the devotional like this:
Throughout Scripture, God is called Father. Yet how does He father His children? What parenting principles can we learn by observing His interactions with humanity? This seven-day study will examine key Scriptures which will help you to father like the Father.
Father Like The Father
Today’s devotional is connected with the following scriptures:
‘So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.’
Genesis 3:23-24
‘Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. ‘
Ephesians 6:4
‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ‘
Hebrews 12:11
Today’s scripture speaks to us some important instruction when it comes to being the dads God created us to be. God’s Word speaks to us the importance of how we respond when our kids need correction or discipline. We see how for Adam it meant removing him from the garden. It meant taking him from where things were readily available for him to needing him to work the ground to survive. We see how it was a decision based on the consequences of his act of disobedience. We even see how God created a barrier to re-entering the garden and getting to the tree of life. God’s Word also speaks to us about how we aren’t to overdo it when we correct our kids. In Ephesians, we get the message that to be the dads we can’t exasperate our kids, which means we can’t irritate and frustrate them intensely, we can’t
infuriate, incense, anger, annoy, irritate, madden, enrage, send into a rage, inflame, antagonize, provoke, irk, vex, gall, pique, try someone’s patience, get on someone’s nerves, make someone’s blood boil, make someone’s hackles rise, make someone see red, get someone’s back up, rub up the wrong way, ruffle someone’s feathers, drive to distraction, exacerbate, hump, rasp, infuriating, annoying, irritating, maddening, antagonizing, provoking, irking, irksome, vexing, vexatious, galling, trying, troublesome, bothersome, or displeasing our kids. God doesn’t just tell us what not to do, He provides direction on what we should do instead. To be the dads, we need to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Just like when God has to discipline or correct us and it isn’t pleasant and can even feel painful, God shares the benefits of discipline and correction long term. The discipline and correction produce a harvest of righteousness and peace when we learn from it, are trained by it, and then live out our lives in alignment with God’s purpose and plan. So let’s be the dads who are there to correct and discipline our kids in a way that won’t exasperate our kids but will instead help them to become the kids who reap a harvest of righteousness and peace because of it. Let’s take the lessons God has taught us and be the dads our kids, our wives, and our world needs each of us to be.
Today’s devotional has been provided by Carlos Santiago and FamilyLife (more details can be found http://www.familylife.com)
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
For more information on communicating with your kids listen to, Blessing Your Child Through Your Words on FamilyLifeToday.com.
Discipline
- What comes to mind when you hear the word discipline?
- Is it: “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.“
- Is it: “the controlled behavior resulting from discipline.“
- Is it: “activity or experience that provides mental or physical training.“
- Is it: “a system of rules of conduct.“
- Is it: “a branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education.“
- Is it: “train (someone) to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.“
- Is it: “punish or rebuke (someone) formally for an offense.“
- Is it: “train oneself to do something in a controlled and habitual way.“
- Today’s devotional shares an example of discipline based on the United States Marines Corps performance of a silent rifle drill.
“Polished patent leather shoes, crisp white gloves, and stoic expressions proclaim their readiness. Even while motionless, their discipline is evident. Once the marching begins, the soldiers work in perfect unison. Bayonet-tipped rifles flip within inches of their faces, yet no one flinches. Everyone on the team is precisely where they need to be, when they need to be there.
Their performance is the culmination of countless hours of training and strict adherence to the instructions and corrections of their squad leader. This leader is their model, not just someone who yells at them when they mess up. He is there every step of the way, taking the same risks, and helping them achieve their best.”
Discipline — Father Like The Father
- You may notice that the word discipline mirrors or the from the same origin as the word disciple.
- So discipline isn’t all about punishment or stopping bad behavior but it is also about training them up in the ways they should go so that when they are older they will not depart from it. Discipline is about training them and developing in them good behavior.
- For us to be the dads, we need to become teachers to help our kids know what good behavior looks like.
- For us to be the dads, we need to lead by example so that our kids can see good behavior modeled for them.
- Jesus modeled life to the full for us and so we need to learn and live following His example so that our kids will do the same.
- Let’s be the dads who pick up God’s example of disciplining us and make the goal of discipline to train up our kids to perfection.
- Let’s be the dads who pick up God’s example of discipline so that we can help our kids remove everything that makes them miss the mark.
- Let’s be the dads who pick up God’s example of discipline so that just as God wants us to avoid and remove sinful behavior from our lives, we can train up our kids in the same way.
- Let’s be the dads who help our kids live the lives God intended them to live.
- Let’s be the dads who walk alongside our kids and holding them to a higher standard that what society is peddeling.
- Let’s be the dads who give our kids something to strive towards as they live out their lives that calls them to God’s higher calling and standards.
- Let’s be the dads who offer correction when we see something going out of line.
- Let’s be the dads who offers the right level of correction based on the situation and the behavior.
- Let’s be the dads who provide correction for the bettermenet of our kids and our relationship with them.
- Let’s be the dads who if or when pain is involved in the correction or discipline that it has purpose.
- Let’s be the dads who point our kids back to the importance and need for God and relying on Him.
- Let’s be the dads who teach our kids to trust God at His and trust God’s Word.
- Let’s be the dads whose discipline enhance rather than exasperate our relationship with our kids.
- Let’s be the dads who discipline in order to create disciples of Jesus.
- Let’s be the dads who use discipline as a way to help our kids with discipleship.
- Let’s be the dads who are looking for the long term best of and in our kids.
- Let’s be the dads whose discipline is effective without causing our kids to want to hide from us.
- Let’s be the dads whose discipline is appropriate and necessary for the here and now as well as for the health of our long term relationship with our kids.
- Let’s be the dads who are more interested in fathering our kids than just being their friends.
- We can be their friends but we need to be the dads God created us to be first.
- Let’s be the dads who have a positive impact and influence on our kids.
- Let’s be the dads who live our lives in a way our kids can respect us.
- So let’s lead by example just as Jesus has done for us.
- Let’s look to apply discipline as a means and method to help our kids grow to their maximum potential and to become who God has created and purposed for them to be.
- Today’s devotional closes with this prayer:
