1 00:00:01,159 --> 00:00:05,879 Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,679 is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some 3 00:00:10,759 --> 00:00:15,599 of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep us 4 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:20,199 through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all of 5 00:00:20,199 --> 00:00:25,399 that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:31,320 healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author 7 00:00:31,399 --> 00:00:34,679 speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. 8 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,439 It is Monday, September four, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name 9 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,200 is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your 10 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,640 Daily Portion where we give you God's Word every single day and today is no 11 00:00:46,719 --> 00:00:51,640 exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of Ephesians. 12 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:57,320 Our caption for today is advice to parents, and yeah, how many 13 00:00:57,359 --> 00:01:03,119 of us actually need advice as parents? I think everybody should really jump up 14 00:01:03,119 --> 00:01:07,239 and raise our hands because parenting didn't come with a manual. Yes, we 15 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:12,400 have the Bible and we need the Holy Spirit to teach us as we are 16 00:01:14,079 --> 00:01:18,680 seeking Godliness as we parent. Yeah, so before we get into that I'd 17 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,959 like to say welcome to you and ask you to go over to your Daily 18 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,000 Portion dot com if you have not already done so, and please please click 19 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:30,359 the joint button so you can come into our online community. Also pick up 20 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:36,079 your Daily Portion book, and in the meantime, also share where you are 21 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:41,560 in the world in that website. That way I can continue to build my 22 00:01:41,719 --> 00:01:45,840 map and know that God is spreading his word throughout the world through you, 23 00:01:46,359 --> 00:01:49,879 and it's a blessing for us to be encouraged by this. Let's go ahead 24 00:01:49,879 --> 00:01:53,400 and pray, and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven, thank 25 00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:57,840 you for giving us this new day and for the privilege we have to be 26 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:02,599 better parents. Father, I'm asking you to show us wisdom and teach us 27 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,159 how you relate to us as we learn to relate to our children. In 28 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:15,879 Jesus name, I pray, Amen and Amen again advice to parents. Let 29 00:02:15,879 --> 00:02:21,840 me begin by reading directly from the lesson. There was a document, a 30 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:27,800 religious document available to the people at the time that Paul was alive, and 31 00:02:27,879 --> 00:02:31,560 this is what it says. I'm not talking like I condone it. Please, 32 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:36,639 We're about to show a contrast between what this says and what Paul, 33 00:02:36,759 --> 00:02:42,759 under the Holy Spirit's inspiration says, Okay, he who loves his son will 34 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,319 whip him often. This is what they were teaching people in those days. 35 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:53,879 Pamper a child and he will terrorize you. Play with him and he will 36 00:02:54,080 --> 00:03:01,240 grieve you. Discipline your son, and make his yoke heavy so that you 37 00:03:01,439 --> 00:03:08,120 may not be offended by his shamelessness. This is from Sarak. I don't 38 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:15,400 know if that's how you pronounce it thirty versus one, nine and thirteen. 39 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:23,080 H Yeah, So that is not what God was teaching his people. God 40 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,919 was not teaching us that. And so we're going to read the council in 41 00:03:27,439 --> 00:03:32,159 stark contrast to what they were hearing from other sources, and the Bible reads 42 00:03:32,159 --> 00:03:38,000 and Ephesians chapter six in verse four and ye fathers, and I would add 43 00:03:38,039 --> 00:03:46,120 here parents, guardians, anyone who has anyone who has responsibility for children. 44 00:03:46,719 --> 00:03:52,520 And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. There are some 45 00:03:52,599 --> 00:03:57,759 things that parents can do to antagonize and provoke our children. I wish I 46 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,759 had the time, but God is saying, don't do that, but bring 47 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:06,280 them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Notice here that discipline 48 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:11,800 is not completely left out, but there is a highlight here. The highlight 49 00:04:11,919 --> 00:04:16,360 is to nurture our children. You see, it's not whipping our children. 50 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,920 It is not terrorizing our children. It is not fill in the blank, 51 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:26,439 you know those things that we read from the other source. It is about 52 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:32,920 nurturing the child and bringing them into a discipline awareness right, and a desire 53 00:04:33,319 --> 00:04:40,120 where we have the opportunity to share one and the desire for them to serve 54 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:45,319 God, the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Here's what Paul said in 55 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,759 Colossians chapter three in verse twenty one, and the Bible reads, fathers, 56 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:55,600 provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Now we have 57 00:04:55,720 --> 00:05:00,199 even more context. We don't want our children to be discouraged. Brother and 58 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:05,480 sisters, those students over which over whom you have responsibility in your classrooms, 59 00:05:05,519 --> 00:05:11,680 teachers. Yeah, so we don't want to discourage them, so we must 60 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:16,160 not provoke them. Sometimes people call their children's names over and over again. 61 00:05:16,439 --> 00:05:23,439 That's provoking. Sometimes people when they're speaking to their children and they call out 62 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:28,160 to them, or they use a certain tone with them. It is always 63 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:33,439 for correction, But never do Some people get the children's attention simply to say 64 00:05:33,519 --> 00:05:38,600 I love you filling the blank name girl, I love you filling the blank 65 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:44,160 name boy. Yeah. So we need to invest the time in nurturing, 66 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:50,399 showing appropriate, healthy affection, giving them a desire to be in our presence 67 00:05:50,519 --> 00:05:57,120 based on how we relate to them. Think about it when you are relating 68 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,959 with those children. Now, I'm going to give a three point parenting call 69 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,240 to action, right, because sometimes we talk about this stuff philosophically, but 70 00:06:05,319 --> 00:06:10,519 we want to have a call to action. So I'm calling this rethinking the 71 00:06:10,759 --> 00:06:20,879 power in parenting. Rethinking the power in parenting. Number one, embrace loving 72 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:30,519 discipline. Yeah, embrace loving discipline. So discipline has to do with structure, 73 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:35,399 giving our children's our children's structure, giving them the opportunity to see how 74 00:06:35,439 --> 00:06:42,920 they can go from point A to point B to point C in all vital 75 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,879 areas in their lives, beginning with how they connect with God, our Father. 76 00:06:47,399 --> 00:06:51,519 Yeah, giving them the discipline that says, this is how you can 77 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:57,399 connect to God. You can pray. You can pray, and prayer is 78 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,319 is speaking to God as to a friend. We can show them that kind 79 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,839 of discipline. Well, how do I do that, mommy? How do 80 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,519 I do that? Daddy? Well, you can at any time just call 81 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,800 out to him and say, God, this is what I'm thinking, this 82 00:07:10,879 --> 00:07:14,800 is how I'm feeling. Would you please give me help or guidance in this 83 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,560 area. Would you please forgive me for the thing that I didn't do that 84 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,800 I should have done, or forgive me for the sin that I committed. 85 00:07:21,279 --> 00:07:26,680 Thank you God. And so now that discipline is really a system. It's 86 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,839 system oriented that says I know how to connect with God. And over time 87 00:07:30,879 --> 00:07:35,240 you teach them about other things that are also practical in their lives, like 88 00:07:35,279 --> 00:07:40,319 how they relate to business, how they relate to what they have to do 89 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,920 in terms of tasks in school, how they relate to people, how they 90 00:07:43,959 --> 00:07:49,079 relate to solving problems and other processes and procedures in their lives. So embrace 91 00:07:49,519 --> 00:07:56,720 loving discipline. So it's about It's about mutual love and mutual respect. Number 92 00:07:56,759 --> 00:08:03,720 two represent God's love. God wants us to be a manifestation of his love. 93 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:11,000 So as parents, embody God's disposition of love and kindness and patience in 94 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:18,480 the home. Showcase a demeanor that uplifts and educates rather than one that suppresses. 95 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:24,279 Ellen White wisely states, and I quote be pleasant in the home. 96 00:08:24,759 --> 00:08:31,200 Restrain every word that would arouse unholy temper. Yeah, so we don't want 97 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:37,120 to antagonize our children. We don't want to fire on them that and then 98 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,919 it puts them in a position to fight or run away. Fight or flight 99 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:46,600 response should not be something that crops up in our children based on what we 100 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,840 do with them. So we want to represent God's love. Third and final, 101 00:08:50,279 --> 00:08:58,440 prioritize communication. It's essential to communicate with your children in a manner that 102 00:08:58,519 --> 00:09:03,879 doesn't provote anger or resentment. So we want to prioritize communication. It is 103 00:09:03,919 --> 00:09:09,960 through open channels of communication, understanding, and empathy that the true discipline and 104 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:16,320 instruction of the Lord can be imparted. This approach not only strengthens family bonds, 105 00:09:16,399 --> 00:09:26,279 but also ensures a harmonious environment conducive to growth and spiritual understanding. Those 106 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:33,120 are your call to action. Three. Prioritize communication. Number two represent God's 107 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:39,399 love. Number one embrace loving discipline, and in that case we are rethinking 108 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:45,720 the power of parenting. Of a wonderful day. Peace. Thanks for joining 109 00:09:45,799 --> 00:09:50,080 us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but 110 00:09:50,279 --> 00:09:54,279 by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your 111 00:09:54,360 --> 00:10:00,320 daily portion with L. David Harris. Make it a great day.