Ephesians 4:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Today is Monday and a day to explore nurture as my word of the year. In the New Testament nurture appears only once and the context was a directive to bring up children in "the nurture of the Lord" I am curious about how Paul might have been nurtured by the Lord.
2 Corinthians 1:3 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."
Comfort is mentioned five times. I can't think of two more nurturing words than comfort and console. Those words describe perfectly a nurturing parent. I asked these questions of myself last Monday. Was I taught in the nurture of the Lord? What have I learned from that nurture? How can I teach others in that nurture?
Thinking back to my mother, who has been dead for 14 years, I remember her scriptures on the living room end table. They were well read. She brought them with her from Germany when we emigrated. She was a believer and received comfort and consolation from the Lord all through her life. She taught me to pray and often told me stories of how faith and prayer protected our family from the calamities of war. So, yes, she taught me in the nurture of the Lord. My father was not a believer. He relied on his own strength to get through major obstacles. He was strong and willing to sacrifice. I saw a good contrast in my parents. Respecting them both, I did see quiet peace which my mother received from her nurturing relationship with God. I learned from her that God supports and sustains his children. Her testimony is a foundational support to my testimony.
I was nurtured by her side.
I love that you appreciate the contrast in your parents. That's a beautiful gift. I tend to be a nurturer, but often my own need of nurturing is unmet. It is only in recent years I'm beginning to allow myself comfort and consolation from the Lord. Or maybe just recognizing something that was always there. Or at least always extended to me. Your exploration of this theme is good for me. Thank you.
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