Proverbs 4:1. Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Oh Friends, on this bright and glorious Sunday morning, let me wish all fathers, including those mothers doing double duty as fathers, a blessed and prosperous Father’s Day! A father is supposed to be the head of the household, providing godly leadership and guidance to those around him. That’s simply the way the Creator established it. Consequently, a father has to have both a good and wise knowledge of life, as well as portray those elements in his personal lifestyle. Fatherhood does carry an enormous responsibility, and that’s one reason why so many men run from it, and why so many families are dysfunctional. But it’s our godly calling, therefore we should embrace it with fervour and joy instead of running from it. What a pleasure it is to raise a godly, decent and LOVING family! And like every other collective in our world, it takes wisdom at the top to ensure overall success. If proper guidance at the helm isn’t forthcoming, then the project(s) will always go awry. Wise Cousin Sol knew this, hence the subtitle of Proverbs 4; ‘A Father’s Wisdom.’ He thus boldly declares our Bit for today: ‘Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.’ Yes Friends, children, in fact the entire family ought to listen to the father’s instructions and desire to acquire understanding, as to why and how these instructions were come by and why they are so important and relevant in their lives. ‘For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.’ (Prov.4:2) Now that’s exactly what a good father ought to provide; wise and sensible foundations for his household. That’s why Cousin Sol, at the beginning of Proverbs, ominously warns: ‘My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.’ (Prov.1:8-9) That’s the living truth my people! Father’s must appeal to their children to listen to their directives and choose wisdom over folly. And I like how the scholars slip in here: ‘The mention of the mother shows that the original setting of the book was at home, not the court or the school.’ Bingo my brethren! It is indeed the home where all this stuff needs to begin, not somewhere outside. Note, it should definitely continue outside, but it can only be properly directed when begun, enforced and reinforced at home. Remember that old but true saying: ‘Charity begins at home.’ That’s an indisputable fact: LOVE and all its trappings must start at home for it to be truly successful in our lives. Seeing different things at home and outside, causes confusion in young minds. But when the solid foundation of LOVE is laid down at home, then it serves as a bulwark, powerful protection against the evils and distractions of this world. And when we pay attention to our parent’s instruction, we’re graced from God with beautiful ornaments for our lives; things like wisdom, justice and understanding. Cousin Sol himself had good groundings from his father, Bruh David, who, despite his many mistakes, never forsook God, and guided Sol in a godly direction. Hear how Bruh David says it when he changed his ways before Abimelech the priest, who drove him away to the wilderness. In the resultant psalm, the Lord hears the righteous, he proclaims: ‘Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:11) Now that’s indeed a parent’s first and most important job; to teach their offspring about Jehovah God, how to serve, worship and revere Him! And having declared theoretically all that a father ought to be, we finally come to the reality of the situation. Unfortunately, it’s rather an unfortunate one. For whatever reason, and there are several, too many households today lack incumbent fathers. In addition, too many of the incumbent ones are weak and/or not seriously focused on God, therefore they can’t teach the children, or those around them the right way. As a result, families, or what passes for families in this nuclear age of greed, evil and violence, have no strong, solid foundation, and thus the members are easily led astray. Just look at how our children are feasted upon and consumed by worldly lusts! In other words, the family, the basic root, the necessary foundation of our society is being eroded, or has already been destroyed, because there’s nothing strong and cohesive to hold it together. The glue that once unified it; God and general decency towards others, no longer play a prominent role in our society. The logical conclusion to this negative trend, if it continues, is the eventual destruction of society as we know it. Oh Friends, we have neither the time or space to delve into why fatherhood is at such a low ebb, but it is an unsustainable position. And with more people bearing children outside of wedlock, plus the increased use of fertility clinics and artificial insemination, fewer fathers will be in future households, thus worsening an already bad situation. Anyway, for those fathers who are there for their children, whether or not they live together, my sincere advice is to please keep up the good work. I know it’s a difficult up-hill task in this confused and evil world, but in the long run you will be well rewarded, both in heaven by the Father, and here on earth with godly, well balanced children. Much LOVE!…train up a child in the way he should go…and (even) when he is old…he will not depart from it… (Prov.22:6) P.S Sorry for this being so late people, but I wanted to go to church, haven’t been in a month, and I didn’t get up early enough to do it before church. These days my ying and yang are out of whack. (smile) And more importantly, I couldn’t pass up the once in a while opportunity to go to church with my young daughter, especially after all that I’ve written above. It’s long, but beautiful. (smile) Much LOVE!
SCRIP-BITS 