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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 3, NUMBER 4, FEBRUARY 23, 2003 THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP (PART 4)
God views the addition of children to a family as a great gift.
In Psalm 127:3-5, the psalmist wrote, “Lo, children are an heritage
of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the
youth. Happy is the man that hath
his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with
the enemies in the gates.” When
the God-ordained marriage is blessed with children there are added
responsibilities that fall upon the shoulders of the father.
These added responsibilities are not a burden, they are simply part of
God’s plan.
When a man becomes a father, he now must provide not only for his wife,
but for his children as well. In 1
Timothy 5:8, Paul wrote, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially
for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel.” He must provide them
with food, clothing, shelter, and all of the other physical things necessary to
their well-being.
However, a father owes his children much more than the physical
necessities. He owes his children
other necessary things that are more important than the physical and they are
things that money just cannot buy. A
father owes his children leadership, guidance, and a good example.
His children must be able to look to him for advice and counsel.
Remember that in Ephesians 6:4, the bible says, “And, ye fathers,
provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord.” Much
is involved in that statement. Many
men feel that since they go out and earn the living, the rest of the
responsibility as far as the children are concerned rests with the mother.
That is not the case in the God-ordained home.
While she shares the responsibility of teaching the children, God puts
the first duty on the father as the head of the household to bring his children
up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
To be an example, to be the guiding influence that a father is to be,
there must be time spent with the children.
So many fathers, either because of work or social activities (clubs and
associations) spend very little time with their children.
We certainly would not be pleased with a schoolteacher who didn’t spend
the necessary time with the children. We
would feel that that individual was not doing the job.
Well, God places the primary responsibility for the children’s
“education” upon the father. As
one who has spent many years coaching children of all ages, I can tell you that
the happiest, most well adjusted kids were those whose parents spend time with
them. The father who always has
something else to do instead of spending time with his children is just too
busy. All the money in the world can
not do for the children what a father’s presence and interest in their lives
can do.
In addition, there is the matter of discipline.
So often when discipline is mentioned the immediate thought is punishment
of some form or another. That is
just a part of discipline, not all of it. Solomon
wrote in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when
he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Discipline, when used as a noun, means, “training which corrects,
molds, strengthens, or perfects.” When
it is used as a verb, it means, “to develop by instruction and exercise, to
train in self-control and obedience.” It
can also mean “to punish, to chastise.”
A father’s responsibility is to set certain guidelines for his children
to follow, and then discipline them to follow them.
In this way the children learn respect for authority, self-control, and
restraint. Occasionally corporeal
punishment will be necessary. In
Proverb 13:24, the bible says, “He that spareth his rob hateth his son; but
he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”
This is a responsibility that is assumed when a man becomes a father.
Fathers, our children need us much more than they need things,
and God expects us to supply that need.
Next week, the woman….
DON’T LET YOURSELF…WORRY
…when you are doing your best. EXCUSES
Two Sunday morning golfers were playing poorly. One said, “I should have stayed home and gone to church.” To which the other replied, “I couldn’t have gone to church anyway. My wife is sick in bed.” DID
YOU KNOW? That our elders are approachable? That you can call on them for advice, for encouragement, or to express some other need? That
we don’t have any big people and little people at That
you are important and that is why folks call when you are not attending
regularly or have other problems? That
we all profit when you are present and miss something when you are not?
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