Dads, your daughters need you. Here are some practical ways to fulfill your important role as a father to the girls in your home.
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Dads, your Daughters Need You
Tag: Parenting
Momma’s, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow UP to be Cowboys! (#4)
Are the children you parent YOURS? Or do they belong to God?
In the past three Wednesday posts, my heart has been to encourage all of us parents to see the children that God has loaned to us, whether born naturally into our family, adopted and/or fostered, as belonging to God and not to us. What a special grace blessing from the hand of God to be a parent, to point precious lives to Christ, and to know that we have all we need by His grace to do so!! 2 Corinthians 9:8 reminds us, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
So far, my encouragement has been . . .
1. Parents, live and train with an eternal viewpoint.
2. Parents, prepare your children to leave home as God so planned.
3. Parents, fulfill your privilege with the grace of God not the fleshly grit of man.
So, how do you parent by the grace of God? Before you read any further, go back to Post #3 and remind yourself of what parenting by grit (the flesh) looks like.
Now, parenting by grace is . . .
1. Christ sets the agenda.
Who sets the parenting agenda in your home? You, your children, your parents, your grandparents, the expectations of others, the government, society, “the experts,” you being inconvenienced by your children, sports, homework, fear, your past, being a victim, or all the above? When it comes to parenting, everyone has their opinion or idea what it should look like and is shaped by many “voices.” Even children who have never parented think they know how you, mom and dad, should operate.
Continue reading “Momma’s, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow UP to be Cowboys! (#4)”Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To BE Cowboys (#3)
Are the children you parent YOURS? Or do they belong to God?
In the past two Wednesday posts, my heart has been to encourage all of us parents to see the children that God has loaned to us, whether born naturally into our family, adopted and/or fostered, as belonging to God and not to us. What a special grace blessing from the hand of God to be a parent, to point precious lives to Christ, and to know that we have all we need by His grace to do so!! 2 Corinthians 9:8 reminds us, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
So far, my encouragement has been . . .
1. Parents, live and train with an eternal viewpoint.
2. Parents, prepare your children to leave home as God so planned.
Today, the third encouragement is parents, fulfill your privilege with the grace of God not the fleshly grit of man.
Continue reading “Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To BE Cowboys (#3)”Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys! (#2)
Are the children you parent YOURS? Or do to they belong to God?
In last Wednesday’s post, I mentioned that Psalm 127:3 says, Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. God creates children in the womb, beginning at conception, and causes them to be formed. Once they are born, our goal as parents is to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), and their goal all the days of their life is to live for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). You see, God owns our children; they belong to Him. For by Him (Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible . . . . All things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).
Therefore, the word “your” does not apply to the popular definition of parenting. Our children are not “yours,” they belong to God. That adds great weight to how we train them.
1. Parents, live and train with an eternal viewpoint.
2. Parents, prepare your children to leave home as God so planned.
Continue reading “Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys! (#2)”Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys!
If you happen to not know, this is the title to a song made popular by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in March 1978. The song’s purpose is to challenge mothers to not let their children grow up to be part of a rough, rugged, roaming life of a cowboy but to make something of themselves like “doctors and lawyers and such.”
My purpose for mentioning the song has nothing to do with cowboys but with the word . . .”your.”
Continue reading “Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys!”Four Joys of Being a Dad!
As we approach Father’s Day this Sunday, may I encourage dads with a reminder of some of the joys of this God-enabled blessing of fatherhood?
Continue reading “Four Joys of Being a Dad!”Parents, Just Go Ahead and Do It! | Releasing Adult Children From Holiday Expectations
Do what?
Just go ahead and expect that your adult kids won’t be home for Christmas!
Continue reading “Parents, Just Go Ahead and Do It! | Releasing Adult Children From Holiday Expectations”DADS
One of the greatest needs in our homes, churches, schools, sports teams, and nation today is DADS, . . .
Delivered by the gospel.
All of us dads were born spiritually dead, living under the control of Satan, self and the world and under God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). As much as we think as a man we can fix our sinful condition, work our way to heaven, fill the hole in our soul, we are forever lost. We cannot fix the greatest crisis in our lives.
Here’s the Good News! But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9)
The most important aspect of being a dad is for Christ to live in us that He may live His life out of us so that our children see Christ and not us (Romans 6-8; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:4-10; Colossians 1:27).
Daily we surrender to Christ. Daily we come to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30). Daily we seek Christ (Matthew 6:24-34). Daily we look for Christ return (John 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Christ is our life (John 10:10; Galatians 2:20).
Adores his wife
Merriman-Webster defines “adore” as “to regard with loving admiration and devotion.” According to Ephesians 2:7, the reason God saves us is to show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Dads, just as God demonstrates His grace toward us through Christ every moment of each day, we can through Christ adore our children’s mom, our wife. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).
Dad, show your children how to love and respect their future spouse.
Demonstrate before them a grace-enabled, God-honored marriage (Ephesians 5:18-33)!!
Disciples his children
Dads spend hours teaching and coaching their children how to hit or field a baseball. Perhaps it’s how to drive a car. Maybe it’s training in construction.
The best training a dad can give his son or daughter is how to know Christ as personal Lord and Savior (Ephesians 2:1-9); to love, read, and study the Bible (Psalms 19:7-11; 119:1-176); to know how to share Jesus with others (1 Peter 3:15); to know how to pray (Study how Jesus prayed and the prayers of Paul, Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Colossians 1:9-12); to know how to praise the Lord and enjoy life (Psalms 100, 150; Hebrews 13:15); to know how to live the Christ-life (Romans 6-8; Galatians 2:20) and to know how to laugh and have fun (Proverbs 17:22)!!
Seeks the eternal things
One day your children will depart from your home and your training. May that which they love above all things and seek after be the eternal things. Life here is so temporal as is power, prestige, position, possessions, and property. We will leave it all behind one day.
May you live in such a way that your children see you seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), having set your mind/affection on things above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2)., that in all things Christ has the preeminence (Colossians 1:18) because the passion of your life is to know Christ (Philippians 3:4-10).
Happy DADS Day!! Be encouraged!! Stay the course!! Grace is sufficient!!
So very grateful for my Christ-centered dad, for the blessing of being of dad, and for my sons-in-law who are and will be godly dads!!!
Don’t Come Home
If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you know that I have done a series on The Empty Nest, Part 2, Part 3—-words of encouragement, help and preparation for when your children leave home to launch out on their own.
Today, I’m sharing the testimony from a son whose parents are an example of handling the empty nest.
“Eighteen years ago, we moved [north]. I’ll never forget the firm words my dad had for me. It seemed out of his gentle character as he nearly made me promise to do what he requested. ‘Son, one of these days your mother and I will get old and sick. Don’t come home! The Lord has a work for you to do in [up north], and we don’t want to get in the way’.”
“My family has been so supportive for all these many years. Dad got cancer, had other health struggles then passed away. Mom has had health ups and downs over the years. She is currently at home having been recently released from the hospital due to many health issues.”
Denise and I met this son and his wife three years ago. They ministered to our hearts in a very special way and have continued to do so. Their love and sacrifice for the gospel, the ministry of Jesus Christ and his parents are quite evident. Even though they moved miles away from parents, what a blessing to serve the Lord knowing that family was “in their corner” praying and cheering them on!
Parents, don’t hold your kids so tight that they feel guilty serving where God has called them if they can’t get home as often as you think. If you are all born again believers, you will spend forever with them. Let them go! Trust the Lord for their well-being. God is always a better parent, refuge, and source of wisdom than we can be.
Release them, love them, remind them often of your support, and most of all, pray fervently for them!!
This son is currently visiting with his mom, and he wrote, “Even though Daddy said not to move back home, I’m pretty sure he’d be ok with a visit.”
From a pastor’s heart,
dale
The Empty Nest – Part 3
In the previous two posts, I have suggested that you can prepare for the empty nest by making daily investments in your marriage, by making your home a joyful place and by preparing your children to leave home.
Today, I submit to you that the greatest step in preparing for the empty nest is to release your children into the hands of God!
Truth is, we do not own our children. They were created by God and belong to Him. Parenting is His work, not ours. Grace to raise our children and send them out only comes from the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10). Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward (Psalm 127:3). For you (God) formed my inward parts; you (God) knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14a).
Since this is true, He knows what is best for our children. Therefore, as they go from the “crib to college” or the “Johnny-Jump-Up to a job,” your goal is to . . .
- Teach the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), live out the gospel, and teach your children how to live out the gospel. Our prayer was always, “Lord, may (name) come to know you as personal Lord and Savior at the earliest possible moment/age.” (10 Ideas For Living Out the Gospel In Your Home)
- Make Christ preeminent in your home as you live out the Christ-life (Romans 6-8; Philippians 1:21; Colossians 1:15-18).
- Live with your sights set on the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) and eternity (John 14:1-3) not the world’s values.
- Teach your children to love God’s Word, to know God’s Word, to speak God’s Word and to apply God’s Word (Psalm 119). A great way to do that is through the Inductive Bible Study.
- Teach them to follow Christ all the days of their life (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 14:26; Philippians 1:21; 1 Peter 2:21)
- Give your children the best gift . . . parents who Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 4). If our children have left home and are following Christ, give Him praise, for it is all of His grace. Enjoy your empty nest and fill it with much love and prayer together.
If your child has left home and is not walking with the Lord, certainly that will be a burden to your heart, but our sovereign God can do greater things than we can imagine. Make your empty nest a place of prayer and submission to the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God. Lean hard into His promises. Perhaps this will encourage you: Comfort For Weary Parents of Troubled Children
May you all find comfort and encouragement in the Truth as you face or live in the empty nest of parenting. Wherever you are and wherever your children are, God is there. Rest and rejoice in Him (Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:6-8). Husbands, enjoy the wife of your youth (Proverbs 5:18). Release your children to God.
From a pastor’s heart,
dale
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