WHAT PREPARATIONS ARE YOU MAKING FOR YOUR CHILDREN?

Dearly Beloved, WHAT PREPARATIONS ARE YOU MAKING FOR YOUR CHILDREN? “Now David said, ‘Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.’ So David made abundant preparations before his death” (1 Chronicles 22:5 NKJV). King David was one of such good fathers in the Holy Bible that made adequate preparations for his son, Solomon, to succeed where he (David) could not, especially in building a befitting temple for the Lord. Here was a man that God favoured and gave success in all his endeavours. A forgotten son who was chosen above his elder brothers and was anointed to be the next king of Israel, he was protected from all his enemies and got established as the greatest king in Israel. In appreciation, he determined to build a temple for God, but God did not allow him to do so. He was categorically told that his son would accomplish that task. David did not feel jealous of his son. He rather made adequate provisions for the building (see 1 Chronicles 22, 28). It is a worldwide-accepted norm that parents (especially fathers) should cater for their children. Apostle Paul declared, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV). Many responsible fathers (and mothers) have been doing these faithfully. They have been going to any length to make sure that their children succeed in life even more than them, the parents. However, there are some irresponsible fathers (and at times mothers) that do not care about the present well being of their children not to talk about the future success of the children. Such irresponsible fathers (and at times mothers) do not care if they make use of every opportunity at their disposal without thinking of what will become of their children in future. King Hezekiah was a classical example of an irresponsible father that did not care about the future of his children. He exposed his kingdom’s treasures and splendour to some envoys that came from a foreign land. God through His prophet denounced this act and predicted that the king of that foreign land would come one day to carry away all the treasures and the people of Hezekiah’s kingdom as well as making some of his descendants to be slaves in the palace of the king of that foreign land. Surprisingly, Hezekiah was satisfied with this prophecy because he thought that there would be peace and security in his lifetime. Here was the person that prayed fervently against the prophecy that he would die (see 2 Kings 20:1-3; Isaiah 38:1-3). He accepted this later prophecy because it did not affect him directly. That is, he did not care about what would happen to the coming generation! Unfortunately, he gave birth to one of the worst kings in Judah (Jeremiah 15:4). How are you preparing for the future of your children? Do you care about their future success? A caring and responsible father will not jeopardize the future of his children (like Hezekiah), but will do everything at his disposal (like David) to secure a better future for them. What preparations are you making for your children? Happy Father’s Day! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray that you will be able to be a caring father (or mother) that will do everything at your disposal to secure a better future for your children.