Your Daily Devotional for June 21, 2006

 

June 21, 2006

Nurture and Admonition

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“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.”

Ephesians 6:1-4

 

Fewer and fewer parents are committed to raising their children for the Lord. While in 1960 there were only 141,000 children in child-care and preschools, just 3 decades later there were 2,500,000 enrolled, an increase of over 1700%. Today, parents work longer hours and spend less time at home with their children and have turned over the care of raising their kids to schools and television. Whether you are a single parent or live with a spouse, raising your children is a biblical responsibility. In our text, God gives instructions to follow for every parent who desires to raise their children for the Lord.

 

God commands parents to nurture their children. The word nurture entails a teaching process. It means that parents are not just to tell their children how to live, but to model a godly lifestyle by caring for them and spending time with them. In order to nurture our children, we must demonstrate our love, and the best expression of our love is time. It is a time that has been robbed by misplaced priorities such as higher pay or a bigger house; it is a time of nurture and care for which America’s children are starving.

 

The role of both parents in a child’s life is undeniable. A New York Senator said, “A community that allows large numbers of young men to grow up without stable relationships to male authority gets chaos. There will be an unrestrained lashing out at the whole social structure.” Though this man’s religious and political persuasion might be different from mine, he has enough sense to realize the importance of fathers raising their children. A study showed that 70% of men in California prisons had no fatherly guidance in their lives. The answer is not abortion—that will only hasten God’s judgment on this land. We need more responsible living in this country. There needs to be a return to the Word of God in our homes.

 

God also instructs parents to admonish their children. Admonition speaks of a strong teaching or a warning. While permissiveness instills insecurity, warning instills love. God commands parents, not only to nurture their children, but to admonish them. In our homes, there must be a proper balance of love and discipline, nurture and admonition.

 

I remember a particular time that my dad told me to go to the barber shop. When I arrived at the shop, I had an idea of what kind of a haircut I wanted. I told the barber, “Just barely trim it in the back, and keep the sides thick.” When I walked into my dad’s office, he turned me right back around and said, “Son, I want you to get a man’s haircut.”

 

Telling me to get a haircut was just one way my father would admonish me. At the time, I was never appreciative of it, but Hebrews 12:11 speaks truthfully, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Today, I thank God for the time that my father took to demonstrate his love by correcting me.

 

What have you done to nurture a godly spirit in the heart of your child? Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are an heritage of the Lord.” If God has blessed you with a family of any size or type, than take great care to raise your children for the Lord. Spend time with them; they need it. Admonish them; they will thank you for it. You will never know when you are spending your last moment to speak to your child’s heart.

---

================================================
THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE PLEASE DO NOT REPLY
================================================
Manage your online subscriptions at
http://www.dailyintheword.org/email/user-login.aspx

To Unsubscribe from this list please follow this link
http://www.dailyintheword.org/email/user-unsubscribe.aspx?s=4159&l=1