Open Heavens 27 June 2016: Monday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Good Parenthood

Topic: Good Parenthood [Monday 27, June 2016]
 Memorise: And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. – Ephesians 6:4
Read: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (KJV)
 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Bible in One Year: Acts 9, Song of Solomon 2:1-7
MESSAGE:
 Effective parenting must be properly planned if you will be really rewarded by God at the end. There are many people today who are leaving the responsibilities of parenting to strangers, and at the end of the day, the children also turn out to be strangers. Godly parents do not leave their responsibilities to chance; they make deliberate sacrificial choices, having an expected end in mind. Today, it is increasingly becoming very difficult to raise godly children because Western culture and ideas have infiltrated our background. God is longing for fathers who will love and care for the home. God is longing for mothers who will help the children become the best that God wants them to be. One of the people I will eternally be grateful to God for is my mother. She did a great job on me, she would never allow me gallivant around like others were doing. There is always a need for parents to re-adjust their lives in order to accommodate the demands of their children. Most men in the world do not understand the unique role that God wants them to play in the home and this is why you see all kinds of children today, who are causing problems all over the world. Parenting must be intentional, no good act of parenting happens by accident. There is always a price to pay.
 Who is helping you to nurture your child today? Who is responsible for the growth of your children? It is the mandate of God for parents to produce righteous and godly offspring within the context of marriage. The nation of Israel was in trouble because they had abandoned their covenant with God. They were engaged in ungodly practices that were disrupting God’s plan for their children. Every parent who loves God should be concerned about how to go about raising godly children who will be great vessels of honour in the hands of God. Don’t allow your children to follow the instructions of the world system that contradicts the Word of God.
 God is assuring parents that when they train their children in the right way, they will serve God for ever and they will give peace to them. There are many parents who do not know peace as a result of the trauma their children bring to them. There are parents who have been defrauded by their children. Parents are to train their children to possess good characters and godly behaviour. Children should be exposed to the wisdom of righteous living; however the father should not become a tyrant or a dictator in the home. There is nothing good in creating fear and anger in your children just because you want them to know that you are in charge. Every child should have a loving relationship with their parents. You have to open the lines of communication with them, so that they can share the challenges of the different phases of their lives with you and with this, you can guide them through the Word of God and you will be amazed at how they will respond to the love of God.
Key Point: You owe it to God and your children to be a good parent.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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