Mentoring Men for the Master

ANSWERING THE AWESOME CALL OF PARENTHOOD

Our lesson for Friday, June 15th and Saturday June 16th will focus on the 8th I – “Intense Devotion to One’s Family, Especially One’s Spouse.”  In past lessons, we have focused on the way a husband should treat his wife as commanded in Ephesians 5:25 and 1 Peter 3:7.  However, since the 8th “I” calls for devotion to the entire family as well, we will in our current lesson be focusing on the parents and their children under the caption stated above, “Answering the Awesome Call of  Parenthood.”

There are many calls in the Christian life, but none is more important than our call to Christian Parenthood.  This task is glorious, awesome, and enormously difficult.  Humor:  Mark Twain said, “When your teen-age boy reaches 13, put him in a barrel, close its top, and cut a hole in the side.  Now when he reaches 16, plug up the hole.”  Certainly, the call to parenthood while difficult, is even more consequential.  A leading expert on juvenile delinquency said some years ago, “The worst thing that could happen to our children would be that they would grow up and be  like us.”  But whether we like it or not, generally our children will grow up to be much like us, their parents.  So I would like to reverse the statement of the expert to read, “The best thing in this world that could happen to my children would be to grow up and be like me.”  Is this possible today?  Absolutely, according to our text.  But how?

  1. The First Thing I should Do Is to Give My All To The Lord Jesus Christ. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul, mind and strength (Deut. 6:5).  God desires our hearts, soul, mind, strength – our emotions, will, thoughts and energies. Example is the most powerful teacher on earth, especially to kids.
  2. I Must Also Learn To Meditate On The Word. Notice “learn.”  Most believers do not know how, but they can learn if they can worry.  Worry is focusing on our worries – negative meditation.  Instead of focusing on our worries, focus on God’s Word until it speaks loudly to your head and heart and hands.  This is God’s formula – only formula – for spiritual success.  “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,  that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:2-3). “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25).
  3. I Must Diligently (sharply) teach my children the Word of God: (Deut. 6:5-9)
    1. Verbalize the Word – talk it day and night, weave into life.
    2. Vitalize – You want your children to be honest, tithe 10%, report every penny to IRS. If you want to teach sexual morality, be sure the TV reflects that.
    3. Visualize – Inscribe on walls and halls of home, post religious pictures, the 10 Commandments, the Last Supper, Christian slogans.
  1. I Will Discipline With My Children on the basis of my personal relationship not my authority.  Begins with the question, “Do you know I love you, etc.”  Takes time, patience, understanding, listening.
  2. I Can Generally Expect Glorious Results. Permit me to reflect on my own experience with my oldest son, Dr. Bill Bennett, Jr.  Also Allen Holmes, my oldest mentee.

Conclusion:  I repeat the statement with which I began, “The worst thing that could happen to our children would be that they would grow up and be  like us.”  Be honest.  Would that be true in the case of your home?  If so, you should  reverse the statement to read like this, “The best thing in this world that could happen to my children would be for them to grow up and be like me.”   And remember, one of the paramount purposes of MMM is to teach you how to answer your awesome call to parenthood in a way that will bring glory to God, great benefit to children, and indescribable joy to us parents.