Training and Admonition

Training And Admonition

"And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4 NKJV

What will my son see when he looks at me? Will he see a man; or will see a boy, posing as a man? Will he see me as a man of God; or will he see me as a man of the world? Will he see one who is Christ-like; or will he see a liar, a fake, a poser? What will my son see as he looks at me?

Since finding out that we're having a son, my mind has been filled with so much, but primarily my charge before God and how I am to raise this son to serve God faithfully. What has gone through my mind these past few days is that it is my charge to teach this boy how to become a man, which infers that I must first be a man myself in every sense. This means putting away childish things, standing firm in my life, being unwavering in my standards before God, and that I speak the truth always and speak boldly. It means to love my wife deeply and sacrifice for her and for our family. It means that I must lead my home in what is right and protect my home from outside forces that would seek to snatch their souls from God and cause them to be lost. It means that I must not let lusts or pride (Jms.1) to have any part of my life and that I must continually strive for perfection as God's servant and child. It means that I look to my Lord, my Heavenly Father, and pattern my care, discipline, instruction, and love after Him. Being a man is not just eating meat and wearing flannel, it's much more than that; being a true and faithful servant of God who leads his home and sacrifices for them and his Lord. It's being what is described throughout the whole Bible in the examples of those gone before. We have examples of men who failed, the unrighteous kings of Israel and Judah, and men who stood tall, Joseph, Daniel, Job, Elijah, Paul, Peter, John, Jesus. Too many fall down on the job of being men in our day, as man has done throughout time. Too many are carried away with their own selfish desires and fail their families, themselves, and their God. 

Look to the Lord and His word to see what a man is; what the world puts forth is a counterfeit and it will only lead to destruction (both here and for eternity). 

I read passages like Deuteronomy 6:1-9 and see that my responsibility is large and that what happens in my home is my charge; it all lays at my feet whether or not sin will have a place in my home or not. As a man, and now as a father raising a son, I cannot allow sin to enter my home and I must prepare daily to wage war against the ways of satan and his every attempt to rip my soul and that of my family away from God. This precious son, this innocent child, will be faced with satan one day; what will I do to prepare my son for battle? This is my charge before God. This is but one of our charges as fathers, to prepare our family for facing satan in the world. How are we doing in our personal lives; because that's where it starts? How are we doing with instructing and leading our family in the ways that are right before God? 

I pray to God daily that I will be a proper example of a man for my son and that what he sees in me and learns from me will help him to avoid all the sin that seeks to lead him astray. It is my goal for my son that he be a leader wherever he may go, that he will be a godly example to everyone that he may meet, that he may lead many lost souls to Christ, and that perhaps he may one day be an elder in the Lord's church (should he decide to be married). Life is short and time is limited. Fathers, may we all redeem the time and truly raise our children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord". We can do this; we must do this! Let us follow the example of Noah in that we save every soul in our household. Strive daily for perfection before God. Let our children see that Matthew 6:33 is not just a verse we quote, but one that we live and that guides our whole life and that of our families. 

Let's take another step today toward our Heavenly home, let it be us as fathers who lead and light the way by reflecting Christ. Little eyes are watching, what shall they see? Let them see us being men, let them see us being like Christ (1Cor.11:1).

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