Welcome!
Today: God’s gift of family!
Passage: Ephesians 6
33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. 6. 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”[a] 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Eph 5:33, 6: 1-4, NIV)- emphasis added
Paul’s advice to families is balanced. When the husband is to love his wife as himself, the wife is expected to respect the husband
Children are to obey and honor their parents in the Lord, while fathers are not to exasperate their children. Do all of that work in the 21st century?
It may not be easy, but with prayer, biblical discipline and love, it is possible
When children grow up, their behavior changes
Sometimes, parents struggle to put children in their mould-unsuccesfully
We need to check how we were, in their age. We cannot expect a 14 year old to think and act like a 40 year old!
And, in these days, they face much more pressure and they are exposed to so many gadgets and sites like facebook and so on
There is always a temptation to dress, walk and talk like their friends
Childrens look for acceptance. They like people who encourage/appreciate them
Most of the time, all they get is “discouragement” from home/church and elsewhere. Discipline is needed; discouragement is a “no-no”
We should not inject the spirit of “unhealthy” competition in their hearts, to “beat” a certain persn(s) in class. Instead, encourage them to be the best!
While encouraging our children “you can do it”, we also need to say, “we will be there”. Children expect their parents’ presence in their precious moments, when they play some games or when they perform. Most parents ignore that!
Once they get “detached”, it will be a “struggle” to get them “attached” again
Often, there are differences of opinion between the mother and father when it comes to children
Mothers are usually like “buy it for them”, while fathers are like “I don’t think they need it now”. There is also a “money part” involved
It is better, if such “discussions” occur between the parents and not in presence of the children. Most of the time, the real trouble starts after they get things, not before! Same is true for parents also
We need God’s grace to run our lives. He will make it all sweet
God bless you
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of family. Help me to be the right father/mother ………(whatever your role is). Without you grace, I fail, no matter what. Fill me with your agape love so that I can love, even when it hurts. Amen
“Children need our prayer and presence more than anything else ”