THE REBELLIOUS CHILD

Read 1 Kings 1

From all we know about King David, he was a loving and patient father. In fact, in verse 6 it says David “had never crossed him at any time by asking, ‘Why have you done so'?” Adonijah had been loved as a son and never crossed by his father. But he still rebelled.

Sometimes, kids just make bad decisions. Notice I didn’t say they are bad children. They just make bad decisions. Why? Because of that ugly sin nature we are all born with. We parents can love and nurture and provide all the right things, but sometimes that sin nature just wins out. Outside the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, sin wins.

TEACHING MOMENT

Have your little children rebelled against you? Have you felt the sting of resentment from them? Have they questioned your authority as a parent? If not, count your blessings. But don’t get all haughty and arrogant and think you have this parenting thing down. We have to stay on our knees, begging God for wisdom to parent every day.

You may know a parent who is beating themselves up for “letting” their child go wild. They may feel it is all their fault when they have tried to do everything right. You need to come alongside them and encourage them. Other parents may have allowed their children too much rope which led to rebellion. But the root cause is not the DNA. The root cause is sin. Every time!

Are you being a rebellious child right now? Are you questioning God’s authority in your life? Are you shoving the conviction of the Holy Spirit back down so you can have your way? Stop! Yield! Repent! Return! Let God have your will and make it His own.

Heavenly Father, I come to You today begging for forgiveness. I repent of my rebellious attitude. Let others see my repentance and be drawn to do the same.