“Become The Father’s Illustration”

You know as I was doing my morning Bible reading, the Holy Spirit brought to
Ephesians 6:1-4. But it was verse 4 that really captured my attention.
The word reads:
⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

How many of you have a strong relationship with your children?
Growing up I did not have a very strong relationship with my biological father, and as a young father I was not a great father (daddy, dad, pops) or role model. As a matter of fact I was an absent father which has cause my sons in a previous marriage to resent me aggressively. And they have all the rights to feel the way they do.

But today, I thank God for His Grace and Mercy and a second chance which has allowed me the opportunity to become the approved dad of today.
A pure/sure father (dad) that is guided by Biblical Christian principles.

Beloved, the way we first think about God has much to do with how we were parented, especially by our father.  You see when I was a young father the image I was portraying was not of the Lord but of worldliness. I had a self-imposed will not an ethical God-fearing Christian thrill. And it was not until I surrendered my self-imposed will and made the “conscience decision to follow God until the day I die. Regardless of what others may think of me.

Beloved, in my role as a Christian dad, grandpa and mentor, I have seen and counseled many men that struggle in their role as dads because their own fathers were either absent, physically, emotionally or poor examples. But regardless of what a person experienced in the past, the best thing any parent can do is imitate God the Father.

There may be someone out there asking:
Bishop Houston, how do we know who He really is?
WELL I’M GLAD YOU ASKED?” 😀

Beloved, we get our best glimpse of what the heavenly Father is like by looking at His Son. Speaking with the disciples, Jesus said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. . . He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:6, 9).
Friends, not only is Christ our path to a relationship with God, He’s also the way we come to know the Father’s true character.

Beloved, when we look at Jesus’ life, what do we see?
Well what we see is, He was merciful, patient, gentle, compassionate, kind, and full of goodness toward all people (Matt. 9:10-13). The Savior healed the sick, provided for needs, and offered forgiveness “regardless” of the offense (Matt. 14:14-21; Luke 23:34). But in love, He didn’t hesitate to discipline or correct others when required.
This is also the example you will see in a pure/sure father (daddy, dad, and pops) that is guided by Biblical Christian principles.

Beloved today, I leave you with this:
more than a solid education or material possessions, your child’s greatest need is a role model of devotion to God through prayer, Bible reading, and holy living. If you make knowing and following the heavenly Father your first priority, you won’t have to worry about what kind of parent you will be.

Have a blessed day everyone. 😀