It seems like more and more our society is discounting the im****tance of
the role fathers play
in their children’s lives. Whether it is the promotion of single
parenting or the feminist movement,
fathers have lost their status as the foundation of the family. This
****ft has had tremendous
ramifications for today’s youth. Countless studies show that when the
Father is absent from the
home, children are more likely to live in poverty, have lower self-esteem
and perform worse in
school. With divorce rates at an all-time high, even 50% in the churches,
many fathers have
been ushered out of the home. It is no wonder our youth are experiencing a
moral crisis today.
I know how im****tant my father is in my life. My dad is the glue that
holds my family together.
He is the pillar of strength and wisdom, the example of unconditional love
and zeal for the ways
of the Lord. Too often though, even in Christian homes, fathers neglect to
be the leaders God
requires of them.
Parents Turn Off the Television and Tune into Your Family.
Spend quality time with your family and get to know their lives
intimately. When you have a
close personal relation****p with your family, they will honour your
guidance because they
cannot bear to disappoint you. Also, for at least one meal per day, let’s
eat together as a family.
This is the perfect time to catch up on what is going on in each other’s
lives, and can set the
framework for further one-on-one time. Discipline with Love; Never in
Anger. “My son, do not
despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the
LORD disciplines those
he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11-12).
Discipline can be as difficult to
implement as it is to receive, but we need guidance and correction. Work
with us to establish
boundaries and appropriate punishments for crossing the line. Consistency
is essential in this
process; we should know in advance the consequences for breaking the
rules. Discipline us
with consistency, wisdom, and love. See Hebrews 12:5-11, “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.”
We Must Lead By Example Teach the Ways of the Lord.
God holds parents accountable to teach their children His ways. Fathers,
as heads of the family,
it is your responsibility to ensure that your family is God-centred. We
need to learn to apply godly
principles in our lives from an early age, not just in church-related
matters, but also to every
aspect of our lives. A Father must Honour His Children’s Mother. It is
through your relation****p
with your wife that the children first learn about relation****ps between
men and women. When
your son sees the love and respect you show to his mother, he will learn
to treat women the
same way when he is older. And your daughters will hold high standards in
romantic relation****ps
because we will not settle for anyone who does not treat us as well as our
father treated our
mother. Do not fight in front of your children. Even teenage children will
personalize parental
disputes that may have nothing to do with them. Show your wife love and
respect and they will
emulate this behavior.
You must Show Affection
Hugs and “I love you” are not just for your wife; we need to feel in our
hearts that Dad loves us,
so do not be afraid to show your daughters and sons plenty of affection.
“Filled with love and
compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him (Luke
15:17-24). Be Patient and
Forgiving Despite your love and guidance, we will make mistakes, and when
we do, we need
to know that you will be patient and forgiving (Luke 15:17-24). The mark
of a loving parent is
the willingness to forgive. Lets switch gears a little to how you can
minister to many or mentor
many. One of the first things Christians need to know is you don’t have to
be an ordained
Minister to minister! To minister means to attend to the needs and comfort
of another. “To the
weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men
so that by all
possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the
gospel, that I may share in its
blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Paul gave us some very im****tant
principles for ministering to
others. For one thing, we must do our best to find common ground with
those we come in
contact with. It is a big mistake to display a know-it-all-attitude. We
must do our best to make
others feel accepted. We need to be sensitive to the needs and concerns of
others and look
for op****tunities to tell them about Christ. Paul chose to find common
ground with everyone and
those with weak consciences in order that some might be saved. However,
Paul never
compromised the gospel truth, the Laws of God, or his own conscience. Paul
was always
willing to go the extra mile to meet people where they were. He always
kept his eyes focused
on the goal of spreading the Good News. Paul’s life focused on taking the
gospel to an
unbelieving world. These principles should be a part of our personal
ministry, for they are just
as valid for us today as they were for Paul in his day.
Team Effort is Necessary for True Ministry
Paul explained to the church at Corinth that no one person should do
everything. Paul’s gift was
preaching, and that’s what he did. He was emphasizing the need for
Christian ministry to be a
team effort. No preacher or teacher is a complete link between God and His
people. Likewise,
no individual can do all that the apostles did. Each Christian should be
content with the gift or
contribution God has given him/her to make, and he/she should carry it out
with a whole heart.
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all
of you agree with one
another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be
perfectly united in
mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Paul was pleading to the believers
to allow real harmony
to exist among them and to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
Of course, Paul was
not saying they had to be exactly the same to be perfectly united.
Instead, he wanted them to
set aside their arguments and focus on Jesus Christ as Lord, and their
mission to take the light
of the gospel into a dark world.
What does the word “Mentoring” mean?
And how does one be a successful Mentor? Webster says, “A Mentor is a wise
adviser, a trusted
teacher and counselor.” This description tells us that not just anyone
will be capable of fulfilling
the duties of a mentor. Usually, wisdom rides on the head of an older
person. Trusting in someone
comes with communication over a long period of time. When you find
someone who has
wisdom, who is trustworthy, and also has the ability to teach good
things, you will have found
much more than a friend for life, you will have found a “Mentor.” A mentor
should be a best friend
A mentor, preferably, should not be a person your own age, but older and
wiser when it comes
to life. Real friend****ps involves face-to-face honesty. Real friend****ps
also involve loyalty. What
kind of a mentoring friend would you be, if you had the chance? There is a
vast difference
between knowing someone well and being a true mentoring friend. The
greatest evidence of a
genuine mentoring friend****p is loyalty, which loves at “all times.” In 1
Corinthians 13:7 one reads
the im****tance of being available to help in times of distress or
personal struggles. Too many
people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friend****p
helps them and leave
when they’re not getting anything out of the relation****p. Think of your
friends and appraise your
loyalty to them. Be the kind of true mentoring friend the Bible
encourages. Jesus Christ is our
Lord and master, yet He calls us His friends. How comforting and
reassuring to be chosen as
Christ’s friends. Real mentoring involves a loving relation****p. We are to
love each other as Jesus
loved us. Sometimes being a mentor involves the simple practice of
listening, helping,
encouraging and giving.
As A Christian Mentor I will be your friend, your helper, your uplifter,
and most of all one that will
show you where our true love is in Christ. As a Christian business online
you have millions you
can reach daily. That is the goal to reach those that do not hear the
love of the Lord on a daily
basis. www.bigtickettowealthchristian.com
John
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