Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NKJV)
6 And these words which I command you today shall be in
your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk
of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie
down, and when you rise up.
This was a reminder to the people to keep The Lord’s
commandments and teach them to others. Not only are we to live out what God
desires for us, but we are to be encouragers who provide a positive influence
on others no matter where we are.
John Ashcroft, in Lesson from a Father to His Son wrote, “Many
kids wake up to the smell of coffee brewing or the sound of a rooster crowing.
My wake-up call was my father's passionate praying filtering through the house.
Sometimes I'd ease downstairs and join him. One knee was usually raised, so I'd
slip in underneath, shielded by his body as he pleaded for my soul.
I never caught Dad praying for our happiness. He realized
that the pursuit of happiness for its own sake is a frustrating,
disillusioning, often futile effort. Happiness usually hides from those
addicted to its sugar, while it chases after those caught up in something more
lasting than momentary excitement.
I never heard him pray for a bigger house, car, or bank
account. Instead, he prayed that our hearts would be ignited and inspired to do
things of eternal consequence. "Turn our eyes from the temporal, the
physical, and the menial," he prayed, "and toward the eternal, the
spiritual, and the noble."
My father never pressured us toward achievement. He knew
that the push had to come from inner reserves, not outward designs. He simply
dangled before us the possibilities. Thanks to his example, we sometimes took
the bait.’
As husbands and fathers our first call is to be a
positive influence first upon our family and then those that are around us. Our
hearts should seek out the good and positive things in life and the life
eternal. For where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.
No comments:
Post a Comment