Our Scripture today is Ephesians 6:4
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
I remember this verse from my teenage years. It was the first Bible verse that I ever abused. My Dad did something that made me upset, and I remember thinking, “He is violating the Bible. Ephesians 6:4 says, ‘Fathers, provoke not your children unto wrath.’”
I’m not making that up. I took solace in thinking that he would have to answer for upsetting me. It was a classic case of going to the Bible to find a proof text for what I wanted it to say.
So what is the point? Here it is: Before you make a teaching out of a verse, even a personal teaching, you should take the time to understand what it means.
Today’s verse is not a call to make sure that fathers never do anything that upsets their children. The verse tells fathers to bring up their children to know and follow the instructions of the Lord.
Before we try to use any verse of the Bible as a “proof text” for what we believe, we must make sure that we know what the verse is teaching.
That great thought is a call to be daily students of the Bible.
I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.