Our perfect Father
Friday 16th November 2018
'Bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.' Ephesians 6:4 NLT
'Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord' (Ephesians 6:4 NLT). For those of us who aren't parents, we might think this verse doesn't apply to us. But when we look deeper, it's teaching us a lot about God's character, as our Father.
In Greek, the word for 'discipline' is paideia. Other ways to translate paideia are training, instruction, correction and nurture - just about everything needed to bring up a child, and everything we'll experience from God when we choose to let him be part of our lives. He nurtures, guides, loves, encourages and protects us. He instructs us on his plan for our lives and trains us to fulfil that plan.
And God disciplines and corrects us when we need to be guided back onto his path. We may think that discipline's a negative thing. But the Bible reminds us that 'God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it' (Hebrews 12:10-11 NIV).
God disciplines us from a place of love, not from a place of revenge for disobeying his instructions. Ephesians 6:4 is a picture of the perfect father. And that's what God is to us.
So what now? Thank God that he is a perfect Father, who wants you to be the best version of yourself.
Friday 16th November 2018
'Bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.' Ephesians 6:4 NLT
'Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord' (Ephesians 6:4 NLT). For those of us who aren't parents, we might think this verse doesn't apply to us. But when we look deeper, it's teaching us a lot about God's character, as our Father.
In Greek, the word for 'discipline' is paideia. Other ways to translate paideia are training, instruction, correction and nurture - just about everything needed to bring up a child, and everything we'll experience from God when we choose to let him be part of our lives. He nurtures, guides, loves, encourages and protects us. He instructs us on his plan for our lives and trains us to fulfil that plan.
And God disciplines and corrects us when we need to be guided back onto his path. We may think that discipline's a negative thing. But the Bible reminds us that 'God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it' (Hebrews 12:10-11 NIV).
God disciplines us from a place of love, not from a place of revenge for disobeying his instructions. Ephesians 6:4 is a picture of the perfect father. And that's what God is to us.
So what now? Thank God that he is a perfect Father, who wants you to be the best version of yourself.
