Presenting ...
... a weekly letter of encouragement.
Singapore
January 10, 1996
Good Morning!
DADS: DO YOU WANT A SIMPLE OUTLINE ON RAISING YOUR KIDS?
Ephesians 6:4 lays out four basic principles:
#1 "Fathers, do not PROVOKE your children to anger."
Literally: "Don't exasperate them"
"Don't overcorrect them"
"Don't be harsh with them."
How easy it is when we return home
from work to bark at the kids...Let 'em know
who is boss!
#2 "Fathers... BRING THEM
UP..."
Literally: "Cherish them"
"Treat them with tenderness"
"Esteem and appreciate them"
When was the last time you took your kids off "trial,"
gently embracing one of them and saying,
"You are precious to me...I love you..."
.
#3 "Fathers...bring them up in the DISCIPLINE...of
the Lord."
Literally: "Training"
- Visualize the training necessary in turning
a floppy
puppy into a prize-winning show
dog.
"Correcting" - Visualize
the painful re-setting of a poorly healed
broken arm: Excruciating initially, but promising
long range usability.
#4 "Fathers...bring them up in the...INSTRUCTION
of the Lord."
Literally: "Mild rebuke": Reprimand, disapproval
"Admonition": Counsel, advice, exhortation
"Warning": Caution,
forewarning, prediction
Kids need your mature perspective on the potholes that
lie in the road ahead.
As busy as we are, God has entrusted the primary
responsibility of DISCIPLINE and INSTRUCTION to
us Dads.
May God grant us the wisdom and the resolve to discharge
with dispatch our responsibility in a Biblical fashion.
My prayer is that you are having a great week!
Dwight Hill
© Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
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