Ephesians 5:32. However, each of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
I appeal to all fathers to take up the mantle of the spiritual leadership in their homes. We can teach our children physical skills but we often don’t teach them to be consistent Christians. Sometimes we fail here because we do not take our own spiritual lives seriously. Spiritual priorities should be uppermost in our minds so that at any given moment, and as opportunities arise, we will be ready to speak a word in season.
Another possible area of failure is that of responsibility in the management of the home. Sometimes fathers abdicate the responsibility for managing money, sorting out the debts and making ordinary everyday decisions for the family. They leave these matters entirely in the hands of their wives. But it is also equally true that sometimes wives are better at home management than their husbands. If this is so and if it is by agreement, it is only good sense for the man to delegate these matters to his wife. But delegating a function or task must not degenerate into abdication of responsibility.
Another problem area is that of spiritual inconsistency. Often when a family starts coming to the church, it is led by the wife. If the wife does not keep up the initiative, nothing happens. Then, as already alluded to, there is failure in the area of disciplining children which is often left to the wife. In the Bible, disciplining of children is never left to the wife only, it is always referred to the father. Unless we start presenting right living against a background of masculinity, our children will not understand what it means to believe in a God who is strong and all powerful. Living a good and devout life has got to be seen as something associated with men and not women alone.
We should not encourage children to grow up hanging on to their mothers. Rather there should be an on-going process of encouraging children to be independent. These are some of the causes of family failure, and the consequences of men refusing to take the role of leadership in their homes today.
When families fail there is often an increase in domestic anarchy. Rules and discipline are abandoned and tremendous frustration increases. Every person in the family does exactly what he pleases. Children do their own thing and nobody really controls what is happening. The result is that everybody in the family begins to grow away from one another. If the wife is a strong person she may take the reins and hold the family together, but the quality of life within that family circle will be greatly affected.
Prayer:
Almighty God. Raising families today is not easy. I need help. Please give me wisdom to know how to manage my family for your glory. Amen