Ephes. 6:1-3 (KJV)
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. [2] Honour
thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
[3] That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
GOD-GIVEN COMMANDS TO CHILDREN:
Obey parents (“in the Lord” keeps Mom & Dad accountable
to God in their requests)
Honor father
Honor mother
PROMISES FOR CHILDREN WHO FOLLOW THESE COMMANDS:
That it may be well with thee
That thou mayest live long on the earth (not in heaven – salvation
is needed for that!)
What we find here is that the Lord wants to be in the center of parent/child
relationships. Hence, children are not released from Christian duty just
because they are not “grown ups”. God expects them to deliberately
and thoughtfully contribute to the harmony of the home AND He enforces
good conduct! DO YOU, dear mother? Do you show respect to God’s
plan for a well-ordered Christian home, or are you letting your little
kiddies act however they want? Based on your way of parenting, what are
they learning about human government in the home?
OBEDIENCE TO PARENTS IS PART OF A CHILD’S OBLIGATION TO CHRIST.
According to verse one of this text, why is a child’s obedience pleasing to the Lord? FOR THIS IS RIGHT! Contrary to popular opinion of the day, God says it is absolutely WRONG when parental obedience and honor are missing in a child’s life. Considering the behavior of most children today, that would mean there are A LOT of children in this world with whom God is not pleased! Yet, how many parents are conveying God’s will to their child via God’s Word? What does it mean to honor your father? What does it mean to honor your mother? How might a child carry out this command in respect to both parents? Do you realize that just as God expects parents not to play favorites with their children, the Lord also expects children not to play favorites with their parents – BOTH Mom and Dad are to be treated with a respectable attitude by each and every child in the home!
As far as God is concerned, things should NOT go well with your children when they neglect to respond to or treat their mother and father as the Word of God teaches. Sadly, many parents “award” bad behavior just to keep their child quiet, thereby acting as enemy agents to the command that God has given their children! Ladies, I hope you are not so foolish as to honor your child with their heart’s desire at the moment when they are out of control in hopes to shut them up and keep from embarrassing you in public! IT SHOULD NOT BE WELL WITH THEM – they do not deserve anything but discipline in such a case. If you’ll notice in verse two of our text today, God has clearly given you His encouragement and support in this course of action! BUT, are you supporting His will in the matter, or your child’s - perhaps even your own will? Are you exercising the lordship of Christ in your home and enforcing that your children behave as God has commanded? If not, you have only opened wide the door of your house to the devil and warmly welcomed the influences of hell straight into the atmosphere of your home and your child’s life. Not to mention the fact that you have also invited the anger of God upon your own head for ignoring His will for your children by permitting them not to honor His Word by way of their disorderly conduct! We have no right to excuse what God will not excuse.
Though your child may be too young to read Ephesians 6:1-3, by way of parental authority and regulation they can still be trained that God expects obedience out of them regardless of their age. Don’t forget to enforce honor as well – both attributes must be present in a child’s life if they would obtain God’s promises of things going well with them and longevity of life. Therefore, parents must see to it that not only do their children do what they are told, but they must also carry out parental orders with a proper attitude. Again my concern for this generation is heightened in light of what God requires. It is doubtful that many children – even in Christian homes - will live to see 40 based on their attitudes toward parental authority and regulation! Would yours be included in the group that will live long on the earth? Are things going well with your child/children? If not, it would be in their best interest to have them ponder this text for inventory purposes! Ladies, the Lord guards and defends those who fear and love Him… None of us has the right to expect God to work in behalf of our children if we do not offer our greatest respect and energy to this portion of scripture.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60: 1&2
Copyright 2004 Pamela A. Iannello
