Words to Dads

 

“ Fathers, do not exasperate your children…”

—Ephesians 6:4a

Did you ever read a verse of Scripture and wonder what incident prompted the writer to write those particular words?

I spent the bulk of my career as a fire protection engineer developing procedures for other fire protection engineers to follow and training them in those procedures. As a part of that responsibility, I had the privilege of serving on a number of Technical Committees of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) developing various codes and standards that were part of the National Fire Codes.

I can look at various sections of those codes and standards and tell you exactly what fire or explosion prompted a change in the language in order to promote greater safety for people and greater protection for property.

I suppose that experience is why I wonder what incident prompted the Apostle Paul to write these words recorded in Ephesians 6:4:

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Did Paul observe certain behaviors in some fathers that the Holy Spirit then used to inspire Paul to offer this sage advice?

Fathers have a huge responsibility in shaping the lives of their children. That’s one reason we should be greatly alarmed at the rising birth rate among unwed women in certain segments of our population. Every birth where there is no father present in the household puts that child at risk.

Has the church where you worship undertaken the task of helping fatherless families by providing some godly male influence in the lives of such children? If not, why not?

And, do your pastors and Christian educators promote sexual purity as the best, most responsible, and most godly way to live to the young people in your congregations?

These are all things to consider as we strive to be Christ’s ambassadors to a troubled world. Spiritual formation always has practical applications. We dare not ignore them.

 

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