And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
Fathers especially should receive the exhortation contained within Paul’s command with a firm commitment to obey.
Fathers, you must be examples of what you teach, living in and by the Word, exhibiting a life of discipline and self-control. The devotion and piety of Isaac left such a profound impression on Jacob, that when he remembered God, he referred to Him as, “the fear of his father Isaac (Genesis 31:42, 53)”.
Fathers, you must be diligent students of the Word and observant students of the world. Are you learning and responding to the reproofs and chastening of the Lord?
Fathers, you must be devoted to prayer and partnership with a humble leaning on God for His wisdom and on your wife for hers.
Fathers, you must be men of courage to take God’s side on behalf of your children, unlike Eli, who simply watched and whimpered, “Why?” in face of his sons’ sins.
What we have to do is make Christianity attractive . . . [and to show] that there is nothing in life comparable to being a Christian. We should create in them a desire to be like us . . . They should be saying to themselves, “I long to be as old as they are, so that I can enjoy it as they obviously do.” Our method must never be mechanical, legal, repressive. Our testimony must never be forced, but in all we are and do and say, let them know that we ourselves are bond-slaves of Jesus Christ, that God in His grace has opened our eyes and awakened us to the world, and that our greatest desire for them is to enter the same knowledge and have the same joy and have the highest privilege in the world, that of serving the Lord and living to the praise of the glory of His grace. (D. Martin Lloyd-Jones).
