Welcome!
Passage:Ephesians 6
Today: Learning to be a (Godly) parent
4 Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.] (Eph 6, AMP)
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. (2 Tim 3, NLT)
I remember attending a short course on “youth & family”. One of the questions we discussed was: “How are parental/child expectations understood in a western vs. non-western context? How does this impact the spiritual development of the youth?”
When parents have the responsibility to guide children on the right path, there will be times of friction; there will be times when the parent has to say “No” and the son/daughter could be like “What? That’s not fair!”
Sometimes, we do the same to our heavenly father. When He says “No” to certain things we wanted very much, we will be like “What?”
Some of heaven’s “choicest” had to face that. On the cross, Jesus asked the father, why He had forgotten him; Apostle Paul asked God to remove his “thorn in the flesh” and the answer was simply a “No”. Moses got (very) used to hearing “No” from God!
So, it is possible that children get angry; but what the Bible says in Eph 6, is about trying to avoid such situations as far as possible
Without much prayer, no parent can do suucessful parenting, as children grow up; parents who never prayed much will (have to) start praying/paying at that point!
There is always a self-justification when someone mis-behaves; God has to open the eyes of such, so that they can see what is wrong. Disobedience and rebellion happens when the person feels stronly that they are right and that the other person is wrong/ignorant. Prayer and teaching of the word of God can change all of that!
When I meditated Numbers 16, it was kind of shocking, to see how certain people can go “sincerely wrong”, and get into big trouble themselves
Korah, Dathan and Abiram thought Moses was wrong and they brought a council of 250 people together, against Moses; but the story had a bad ending, when earth opened up and swallowed the three and fire from above destroyed the 250!
Moses was right; he was transparent and true!
As parents, there will be times when we will have to plead to God, for our generation, so that God can save them from the wickedness around them and give them good character, spirituality, education and a good future; again, our children need our prayer and the counsel of the word of God and the Holy Spirit, more than ever
Have a great day!
BG
Reflection: How successful I have been, dealing with my kids/parents?
Prayer: Lord, “8 Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You”. Amen (Ps 143, AMP)