Key Bible Verse: "All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end" (John 9:4). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 4:1-13

It's the 21st century. Our families rise and are off to the four winds. With this high intensity lifestyle, a man can easily fail to take control of his family's spiritual life and summon all together for family devotions. A series of devotionless days easily becomes a devotionless week, then a devotionless month, year, and ultimately a basically devotionless upbringing. How tragic!

A child born into your family will live for approximately 20 years under your roof: 7,300 potential days for pouring into his thirsty mind the waters of biblical instruction. Let's liken his soul capacity to an Olympic-size swimming pool. If each day, I pour a pail of water into the pool, by the end of 20 years, it will be nearly full to the brim. But if I forget to pour on half the days, the pool will hardly be swimmable. If I neglect pouring on most days, it will only be wadeable. Do I want my children to have spiritual depth? Or am I content for them to be spiritually shallow?

The decision is yours: Will you this day discipline yourself and your family's agenda to address the one thing needful? Will you today pour in the daily pailful?

—Mark Chanski in Manly Dominion

My Response: How can I keep my father influence from slipping through my fingers?

Thought to Apply: A father's primary function is to empower his children by investing in their physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity.—Mike Singletary (football player & coach)

Adapted from Manly Dominion (Calvary Press [www.calvarypress.com], 2004) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, I want to feed my family spiritually as well as physically. Fill me so that I can pass on the overflow.

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