Two Essentials for Godly Parenting | Some Assembly Required

Devotional

Day 1: Standing Against the Current When Waves Keep Crashing

Parenting often feels like standing in shifting ocean currents—some days manageable, others overwhelming. Fatigue, schedules, digital influences, and identity struggles pull like riptides. God calls parents to plant their feet, not in perfection but in persistent reliance on Him. Standing requires grit to keep teaching truth and correcting missteps, even when progress seems invisible. Every small effort matters in the long fight. [01:18]

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1–4, ESV)

Reflection: What specific “current” feels strongest in your parenting right now—fatigue, influence, or resistance? How can you anchor your resolve in God’s strength today?

Day 2: When Good Parents Let the Current Win

Eli, a respected priest, knew his sons exploited their role yet avoided hard discipline. His passive rebukes without action eroded their character and dishonored God. Tolerating defiance or disrespect in children—even out of exhaustion or fear—slowly surrenders to cultural tides. Godly parenting demands courage to confront what harms their souls, not just manage behavior. [10:01]

The sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. The custom of the priests with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come… and thrust a three-pronged fork into the pan. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did to all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. (1 Samuel 2:12–14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been passive in addressing a recurring issue with your child? What one step can you take to reclaim intentional ground?

Day 3: Repeat the Lesson Until the Tide Turns

Teaching isn’t a one-time event but a rhythm of conversations—at meals, in the car, before bed. Like Deuteronomy’s call to “repeat them again and again,” truth sticks through repetition, not perfection. Mundane moments become holy when woven with grace. Trust that seeds planted in ordinary time will bear fruit beyond your sight. [21:05]

These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: What routine moment this week (car ride, bedtime, etc.) can you intentionally use to reinforce a biblical truth?

Day 4: When Their Will Tests Your Resolve

Parenting strong-willed children—like the pastor’s “demon-possessed” daughter—requires steadfast love. Bending a child’s will toward humility isn’t about winning battles but protecting their future. Consistent discipline—rooted in love, not anger—teaches that sin’s consequences are costlier than temporary discomfort. Stand firm: their eternal character outweighs momentary conflict. [38:47]

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6, ESV)

Reflection: Which of the “three no’s” (defiance, dishonesty, disrespect) needs focused attention in your home? How can you address it with calm consistency?

Day 5: Discipline That Redeems, Not Ruins

Godly correction isn’t punishment but training. It reassures children they’re loved enough to be guided. Like a gardener pruning for growth, discipline removes what hinders flourishing. Painful in the moment, it guards against lifelong regrets. Trust that God uses your faithful efforts to shape hearts that seek Him. [30:04]

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: When have you seen discipline lead to restoration, not resentment? How can you focus more on your child’s heart than their behavior today?

Sermon Summary

Parenting stands like a person in the ocean, feeling a soft current some days and a hard rip the next, and the call to stand becomes the essential thing. The current rolls in as fatigue, temper tantrums, overloaded schedules, digital and relational influence, identity confusion, and the daily grind of discipline, and the resolve to stand matters more than any technique. Eli’s household shows the danger of losing that resolve: his sons were “scoundrels” who preyed on worshipers, and his passive rebuke without decisive discipline honored his sons over the Lord, so God removed his line. Godly parenting therefore rests on two pillars that require grit over years, not weeks: teaching what needs to be learned and training what needs to be corrected.

Ephesians 6 speaks plainly. Children must obey and honor parents, trusting that imperfect parents still work for their good. Fathers must not provoke but must “bring them up” with discipline and instruction from the Lord, because children need both positive and negative reinforcement. Over encouragement with under discipline exasperates, and so does over discipline with under encouragement; health lives in the balance.

Teaching stays consistent and continual. “Don’t be a weirdo,” just fold God’s wisdom into normal life rhythms. Deuteronomy 6 calls for repetition in everyday moments—at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning—because repetition is the secret sauce of learning, and character beats lectures when kids sniff out hypocrisy. Timothy’s life shows how a mother and grandmother’s steady Scripture-shaping from childhood bears fruit; God’s word never returns empty.

Discipline stays redeeming and reassuring. Discipline is training in righteousness, not venting anger; it aims at the heart and restoration with God, parent, and neighbor. The sin nature never matures itself out; it stays selfish unless loving authority bends the will toward humility. Loving discipline lets children taste the lighter pain of correction so they do not meet the heavier pain of unchecked sin.

A strong-willed child will test that resolve, and grit may look like sitting outside a bedroom door night after night. The decision that a child’s will will not outlast a parent’s love preserves the soul. So three non-negotiables deserve immediate discipline because they target the will: no defiance, no dishonesty, no disrespect. Childishness needs guidance, but these require correction now. The goal remains reflective and redemptive: children who know and love Jesus, raised by parents who keep standing in the current.

Key Takeaways

1. Godly parenting requires the will to stand The image of standing in the ocean names what parenting feels like on honest days. Techniques help, but resolve sustains the long obedience of teaching and training when currents get rough. Without will, even right tools sit unused, and small compromises pile into big outcomes. Resolve is the parent’s first stewardship. [04:18]
2. Teaching must be consistent and continual Deuteronomy points parents to ordinary rhythms, not theatrics, and repetition is the quiet engine of wisdom. Mealtimes, car rides, bedtimes, and late-night teenage windows carry more weight than scripted moments. Who the parent is authenticates what the parent says, so character becomes the curriculum. [20:17]
3. Discipline aims at the heart Training in righteousness seeks redemption, not mere compliance, and restoration, not payback. Punishment fixes on behaviors and vented anger, but discipline targets the will with love and a clear goal of right relationship. Loving correction spares children from the harsher consequences of sin left to ripen. [29:41]
4. Target defiance, dishonesty, and disrespect These three reveal the will in revolt, not simple childish forgetfulness, and they demand immediate, measured correction. If left alone, they tutor a heart to believe that self-will always wins. Addressing them early bends desire toward truth, honor, and trust, which become the rails of adult life. [40:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:22] - Parenting and the ocean current
[02:17] - Currents parents face today
[04:18] - The will to stand firm
[06:56] - Eli: a cautionary tale
[11:16] - God’s charge against Eli
[13:54] - Two pillars of parenting
[16:36] - Children, obey your parents
[17:54] - Fathers: discipline and instruction
[19:00] - Teaching without being a weirdo
[20:17] - Deuteronomy 6 and repetition
[26:17] - Redeeming, reassuring discipline
[29:41] - Discipline versus punishment
[40:33] - No defiance, dishonesty, disrespect
[43:05] - Reflective, redemptive aim

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV)
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV)
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Observation Questions

What two pillars of parenting does Ephesians 6:4 emphasize, and how does the sermon connect them to “teaching” and “training”? [14:25]
According to Deuteronomy 6:6-7, when and where should parents teach their children God’s truth? How does the sermon encourage making this practical in daily life? [20:17]
The sermon highlights three behaviors that require immediate correction: defiance, dishonesty, and disrespect. Why are these specific actions tied to the “will” of a child? [40:33]
What consequences did Eli face for failing to discipline his sons, and how does this story illustrate the danger of losing resolve as a parent? [12:53]

Interpretation Questions

Why does the sermon stress that discipline should aim at the heart rather than just behavior? How does this align with the distinction between “discipline” and “punishment” in Ephesians 6:4? [29:41]
The sermon warns that over-encouragement without discipline (or vice versa) can exasperate children. How might this imbalance contradict the balance of “discipline and instruction” in Ephesians 6:4?
Deuteronomy 6:7 emphasizes repetition in teaching. Why is repetition so critical for shaping a child’s character, and how does hypocrisy undermine this process? [21:05]
How does Eli’s passive response to his sons’ sin (1 Samuel 2-3) reveal a failure to honor God above his children? What modern parallels might exist for parents today?

Application Questions

In what everyday moments (meals, car rides, bedtime) could you intentionally weave conversations about God’s truth into your family’s routine? What obstacles might make this challenging? [20:17]
Think of a recent conflict with a child: Did your response focus more on correcting behavior or addressing the heart? How could you adjust to reflect “training in righteousness” next time? [27:33]
The sermon warns against letting a child’s will “outlast” a parent’s resolve. Where have you felt tempted to give up in teaching or discipline? What practical step could help you stand firm? [36:33]
How can you create a balance between encouragement and discipline in your parenting? What habits or words might need to change to avoid exasperating your children? [18:30]
Defiance, dishonesty, and disrespect signal a rebellious will. What specific, loving consequences could you implement to address these behaviors without provoking anger? [41:09]
Reflect on a time when you saw “childishness” (accidental mistakes) versus “willful sin” in your child. How did you respond differently, and why does this distinction matter? [40:33]
The sermon says, “Who you are authenticates what you say.” What area of your own character or faith needs growth to model integrity to your children? [20:17]

Sermon Clips

Eli failed to understand that tolerating bad behavior in your children is ultimately enabling the bad behavior. And he knew better, but he lacked the will to stand against the current and to and to act. And so we see in first Samuel three, the Lord's gonna act. So the Lord says to Samuel, I'm about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I'm gonna carry out all my threats against Eli and his sons from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever. Look at this. Because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them. He's done nothing about it. [00:12:00] (53 seconds)

And if you're allowing as a parent the current of defiance, dishonesty, or disrespect to flow through the life of your child because you think they're just children and one day it's gonna get better, what you're doing ultimately is teaching them that their will can have its way toward what is good for them, and that is not the case. So what are the two pillars? To teach what is good, to train out what is bad. And to stand in the current by God's grace and his wisdom, his word, and do our very best to do both of those things for as long as God gives our children to us. [00:41:49] (39 seconds)

And it is godly discipline that bends the will away from selfishness to a posture of humility and receptivity whereas a child grows and matures in the things that they need but don't always want. They need discipline. Again, the idea is training. You're training out what needs to be corrected. It's not strictly punishment. I wanna be clear about this. Punishment is something that's often done in anger that's aimed toward behavior. Discipline is something that's done in love that's aimed toward the heart. Discipline is rooted in love. [00:29:08] (42 seconds)

There is no greater joy, no greater privilege in all the world than being a parent, and and your children need you. They need parents to teach and to train even when they don't think they do, even when you think they're not listening, even when you think they're not paying attention, even when they're resisting at three or 13. Doesn't matter. Your your children need you to stand in the current, unmoved, undeterred, to teach what is needed, and to train what needs to be corrected. That's the game. That's what you signed up for. [00:15:33] (38 seconds)

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Two Essentials for Godly Parenting | Some Assembly Required | Corey Abney