“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath:  but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”  (Ephesians 6:4)

In the simplicity, yet profoundness, of this statement on parenting, the Lord gives us two keys to being a good father.  Do you see it?  Good fathers do not provoke their children, but rather they provide for them.

Parenting is not easy – it takes a lot of patience to raise children in a loving, Christ-honoring manner.  The purpose of parental discipline is to help children grow, not to hurt or discourage them.  Frustration and anger should not be causes for discipline.  Rather, parents should act in love, providing agape love; the love that God has for His children  (the kind of love Israel had for Joseph).

Jesus, the Master Teacher, speaks on providing for needs in Matthew 7:9-11 and that is what fathers do, though imperfect beings:  “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children.”

To this Pastor, the “acid test” for fathers is how do you love the children’s mother?  “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it.”  (Ephesians 5:25)

Fathers, be bless on this your day, as you provoke not and provide for.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

FATHER’S INSTRUCTIONS

(Proverbs 4:1-4, 10-27)

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.   (Proverbs 4:1-4)

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.

 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.  (Proverbs 4:10-27)

Chant:  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen!  Amen!

GOD THE OMNIPOTENT

Isaiah 40:18, 21-31

To whom then will ye liken God?  Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?  (Isaiah 40:18)

Have ye not known?  have ye not heard?  hath it not been told you from the beginning?  have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a first tent to dwell in:

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown:  yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth:  and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal?  saith the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number:  he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Hast thou not known?  hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?  there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint: and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; and they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  (Isaiah 40:21-31)

Chant:  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen!  Amen!

Very oft times when we hear in the church the word “tradition,” it is almost always used in a negative sense.  This is unfortunate because many traditions are very positive and are worthy of our adherence.    In II Thessalonians 2:15, The Apostle Paul admonishes the church to:  Therefore, brethren,  standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Paul tells the people of God to hold tenaciously to his teachings, both orally and in written form.  One of the traditions Paul elaborates upon is found in II Thessalonians 3:6, the tradition of hard-work.    [I find this to be a tradition that the entire body of Christ can embrace].  While in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul was “hard-work” personified.  Paul, by his own admission, was not lazy, would not accept hand-outs, and chose not to be a burden to anyone.  Interestingly, the tradition of hard-work is applicable in Kingdom work as it is in secular work.   Hard-work, a tradition found in our neighborhood.  Respect for elders, another tradition in our neighborhood.  Leviticus 19:32:  Show your fear of God by standing up in the presence of elderly people and showing respect for the aged.  I am the Lord.  (New Living Translation)  [This is a scripture this Pastor has lived by, even though I didn’t know there was that scripture].

Traditionally, the church has always been very important in our community.  Reverential fear of the Lord and respect for His people and His day has been the norm.  To quote Paul, “standfast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”

Be blessed and let the church be the church.

Pastor J. Amos Jones