The Men of Iron Minute

by Ryan Zook | Curriculum & Content Developer

Raising the Next Generation

How do your kids feel when you correct them? Do you ever think about that? How do your kids feel when you’re disappointed in them? 

Maybe it’s not something you’ve thought about much.  

In Ephesians 6:4, Paul teaches fathers in the early church this point, “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.” 

First, Paul encourages us not to provoke our kids to anger by how we treat them. If you have a toddler, that probably seems impossible. If you have a teenager, that seems impossible, too. He’s not saying they can never get mad, they will. He’s saying we should never push our kids to anger, not that we should never make them angry. We don’t correct our kids out of our own frustration; we correct them out of a desire to push them closer to Jesus.  

Angry decisions and corrections have an incredible potential for consequences that last far past the issue and could damage your relationship with your kids.  

Now, notice the second part of the command: we bring up our kids not to be like us but to be like God. Paul tells us to bring our kids up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. How can we bring our kids up in the instruction that comes from the Lord if we don’t know what it is? This shows us the importance of continually reading and seeking to understand the instructions God has given both through the Bible by the Holy Spirit.  

Correct your kids, and teach them who God is. Also, remember, one of the worst things you can do is NOT practice what you preach. Don’t encourage your kids to honor God with their lives while you refuse to, even if you think they wont notice. If you do that you will harm your relationship with God, your relationship with your kids, and even your kid’s relationship with God.  

Don’t discipline your kids to be like you, lead them to be like Jesus. 

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