“Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.” Colossians 3:21 LSB. https://bible.com/bible/3345/col.3.21.LSB

What would exasperate my children such that they lose heart? To what would they lose heart? What causes exasperation or provocation that creates bitterness? Hopelessness causes exasperation creating loss of heart. Why would a person feel hopeless? The result of not being encouraged but rather so maligned as to become discouraged, unable to see the possibility of future success. So what should biblical fathers do to keep from provoking children to utter discouragement? They should first encourage them in their identity in Christ. The hopelessness of humanity is taught through evolution. Hope for humanity is in the gospel that promises a man’s resurrection from the dead to eternal love, joy, health, and peace with God and men through Jesus the Savior. A father should first teach his children that God made them, loves them, and has come to earth to reconcile them for living with Him forever. Second, a father needs to aim his children toward the word of God and the work of God. The standard for living and the purpose for living must come from God’s word and not cultural standards. Whatever men define as success is not the biblical man’s definition. The man of God aims for the glory of God obtained in fulfilling the will of God on earth as it is in heaven. Keeping God’s word as our standard and goal keeps us hopeful and productive. The father who obeys this command is the father who teaches his children that in Christ he is forgiven of all his sins, forever made pure before God by the works of Christ, and able to receive God’s eternal reward by denying himself and giving himself to serving the purpose of God which is the Great Commission all of his life.