Part 3: No “Free Zones” , Dad to the Rescue, The Gift of Time - God’s Guidance for the Nurturing of Our Children

God’s Guidance for the Nurturing of Our Children 

Week 3:  No “Free Zones” , Dad to the Rescue, The Gift of Time

Review: Download Worksheet

Psalm 128:1-4 Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.

2 When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.

A.  No “Discipline Free Zones”

            1.  Disciplining in public

            2.  Do not let public place be a “DFZ”

            3.  Explain beforehand….Teaching (“training” in Ephesians 6:4)

            4.  Here’s that word again:  Consistency!!

• The importance of Disciplining by Principle

• Proverbs 13:24  He who spares his rod hates his son,
  But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

B.  Dad to the Rescue

            1.  Dad is in Charge:  Eph. 6:4; 5:23

• God has formed men for Leadership

• Provider and Protector

2.  You must back Mom

3.  Your Daughters Need You

4.  Your Sons Need You

C.  Do Not Provoke to Wrath (Anger)

• Ephesians 6:4

• Colossians 3:19-21   Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

1.  Dad’s push for excellence

2.  Common ways Dad provokes to anger:

                        a.  By being too demanding (perfectionistic) without recognition or complements.

                        b.  By demanding too much for the age level

                        c.  By being unjust and unfai

                        d.  By showing favoritism

• Genesis 25:28   And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

• Genesis 37:3  Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

e.  By being harsh, impatient, or too sever in discipline

• Not disciplining out of love but out of anger and frustration

f.  By embarrassing children in front of others

• John Gill Commentary: “[Provoking to anger]….this alienates their minds from them, and renders their instructions and corrections useless…wrath lets in Satan, and leads to sin against God; …or despairing of having any share in the affections of their parents they disregard their commands, instructions and corrections and grow rebellious.”

D.  The Antidote…Eph. 6:4  “nurture—rear them tenderly”

1.  Make your goal to have such a close relationship with your child that they are convinced of your deep love and affection for them.

2.  As you nurture them with patience, tenderness and love, far from being provoked to anger, they will love you and so enjoy the warm sunshine of their relationship with you that they will not want to harm it.

John Calvin, Commentaries   “Kind and generous treatment keeps children in reverence for their parents, and increases the readiness and cheerfulness of their obedience, while a hard and unkind severity rouses them to obstinacy , and destroys their dutifulness.”

E.  Parting Words

            1.  Relationships take TIME

            2.  Parenting more so

            3.  Parents: Love your children enough to give them Time…to give them You