I was blessed again early this morning in fellowship with brothers who have committed to studying the word and praying specifically for God's direction in regard to our roles as fathers.
We spent some time in Ephesians, Chapter 6, where Paul exhorts children to obey their parents in the Lord. He notes that the commandment to "honor your father and mother" is the first commandment with a promise -- "...that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
In His perfect way, God then inspired Paul to follow with this caution: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
We are called not to the law, but to a posture of grace. To be sure, we must teach and discipline, as God teaches and disciplines us.
Proverbs 3:11 reads: "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in."
But above all we are called to offer unconditional love, the kind of love demonstrated by Christ when He chose death on the cross in order to redeem us from our sin so that we might be made clean, "white as snow," and walk with confidence regarding the promise of life eternal with the Father.
The title "parent" is a gift from God. As is the case with all of His gifts, however, it is critical that we honor and glorify the Giver, pointing to Him, calling on Him continuously as we walk through the seasons of parenting.
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