Do you comply with the new mandated safety standards for gasoline? My understanding is that the mandated containers are more for the protection of the environment than for the protection of people. Common sense and caution are still required because gasoline is flammable and poisonous.

Lye, a chemical (sodium hydroxide) used in making soap, is found in many homes. Lye is possibly even more dangerous to people than gasoline. I know two families in which children added water to a dry, empty cup that had previously been used to transfer lye and took a drink. Immediately upon drinking the water, they began screaming in pain as their throats were “burned.” Though both children lived, they had serious health challenges for years afterward.

Tragically, many families today often ignore an even greater danger. A child’s mind is a container that deserves the greatest care as to what is put into it, because what goes into a mind can NEVER be removed. Although it may be difficult at times to find something you might want to retrieve from your mind, you cannot remove what is there. 🙂

What you put into a child’s mind can be either tremendously beneficial or disastrous to the child’s future. Are we being responsible parents by regulating what goes into our children’s minds? Are we instilling in them the need for great caution in what they allow in?

“For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” (Romans 16:19)

Steve

I could not find the person to credit with this saying, but I love the quote: “If you’re on time, you’re late, and if you are five minutes early, you are on time.” Implementing this shows love and respect for others.

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Galatians 5:14)

Steve

When was the last time you made a bad decision? I mean one that was really dumb? I’ve made many, but the one that stands out in my mind was the time I decided to “help” the crockpot get a bit hotter because we needed it to cook the family’s favorite stew in a short period of time. I almost burned up our counter top in the process. Pretty dumb.

Some decisions, such as my crockpot fiasco, are correctable. Others have eternal consequences such as the “moms” who choose to get an abortion. Are you praying that this modern-day holocaust would stop? Every time you pray, would you pray that God would intervene in these “moms’” lives and convict them so they might not kill their babies?

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Steve

Where is your focus? Our minds are amazing in that they are always busy thinking about something. The question is, what are you primarily focused on? Just like driving a car, you will steer toward what you focus on. Colossians 3 tells us to set our hearts and minds on things above. Obviously, every thought cannot be on things above, but what is the driving desire of your heart; money, pleasure, entertainment, a hobby, your job, your family’s growth in Christ?

Now what is scary is that the desire of our hearts will become the desire of our children’s hearts. Jesus said, “the lusts of your father you will do.” Even if we do not live out the desire of our hearts but have a degree of outward conformity to “religious stuff,” our children will embrace what goes on in our mind. Look around you; we see it all the time. Andrew Murray said it plainly, “Be what you want your children to be.” (What a guy!)

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

Steve

Have you ever had a time when you haven’t been able to brush your teeth for a while, and they felt grimy, cruddy, or even hairy? If you weren’t in the good habit of brushing your teeth, then having hairy teeth would feel normal. For most of us, however, teeth brushing is due to the diligence of our mother’s training (okay hounding). Good habits don’t come naturally, but when acquired they are a lifelong blessing.   

Over the years many have written and asked if they should require their children to read the Bible daily. Here’s a question for you. In light of eternity, which do you think is a more important habit— brushing your teeth or reading your Bible every day? The answer is ridiculously obvious. Reading one’s Bible every day is critical to our wellbeing and our future.

Scripture shines God’s lamp into our souls and exposes the things that God wants to change or remove and feeds our souls for real life in Christ. Our souls must be so dependent on our daily cleansing and filling via the Word of God that we feel odd and uncomfortable if we haven’t had our time in the Word.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” (Psalm 119:9)

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) 

Steve

I have watched my married sons and their wives work patiently with their children to teach them to be grateful. It is amazing what persistence it takes to make progress against the selfishness of the flesh, and oh how delightful it is to hear sweet little “Thank yous.” First we teach a child to be grateful to those around him who bless him. Then he needs to learn to thank God, Who is the giver of all good gifts, and Who cannot be seen.

We all enjoy being around grateful people, but those who are ungrateful tend to weigh us down. Are we dads setting the example for gratitude in the family? Are we looking for things others in the home do so we can share our gratefulness with them? It is one thing to say “thank you” and quite another to express why we are grateful for what they did.

Who would have thought how absolutely foundational being thankful can be even to a person’s eternity? “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful.” (Romans 1:21)

Steve

I have to wonder if some of the most damaging words to homeschooling and children’s futures I’ve ever heard are, “If the children aren’t having fun learning, they will grow up without a love of learning.” That is used as justification for requiring that learning must be fun. Sadly, might the two most common results of so-called “fun learning” be: wearing Mom out and the children’s not be willing to learn unless it is fun.

I plead with you dads for the sake of your children’s future not to buy into this “learning must be fun” mistruth. If learning has to be fun, what does that mean about learning Scripture? Do we only read Scripture because it is fun and not read it because it isn’t fun? Since Scripture isn’t fun to read, could that mean children raised this way will have no desire to read the Bible as they get older?

We exercise because of the health benefits, and we learn because of the value of learning. We apply ourselves. We learn to enjoy our “brain sweating” and loving the feeling of accomplishment as we learn and grow not because it is “fun.”

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Steve

When a parent “hovers” over his child, we call it helicopter parenting. Others might call that child-centered parenting. Sadly, it confirms to the child that the world actually DOES revolve around him or her. We are all born thinking that; helicopter parenting just confirms it.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3)

Steve

How important am I to my family? If I were gone forever out of the family, would they be better or worse off? Am I just a paycheck? (The government can provide that.) Do I drive my family to church? (That is good, but many churches have busses for that.) Am I a friend? (That’s good, too, but pets provide great companionship.)

The paycheck is only a means to fulfill my primary job of leading and discipling. I take them to church BUT more importantly I lead them as an example of life in Christ and in God’s Word daily during family Bible time.

My ability to disciple my children is proportionate to my relationship with them. Far more important than being their friend is my being their earthly father who loves, invests, admonishes, and leads them in following our Lord Jesus. The quality of their lives depends on it. How purposeful in setting direction, how committed and how actively am I discipling my children in a relationship with Jesus Christ? Would they miss that if I were gone?

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

Steve