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Good morning my “walking with Jesus” friends, this is the ‘weekend edition’ and we’re looking at Ephesians 6:4-9, a continuation of the discussion on “Parenting”!
Paul began this discussion by addressing children and calling them to both obey and honor their parents. We looked yesterday at Deuteronomy 6 and God’s challenge to parents for providing a home learning environment, which would teach children of all ages, to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. The result is God’s promise in vs. 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Friends, you may know that Psalm 78:1-7 and 145:5 both celebrate the generational truth and power of God’s promise. This was God’s design for how families would be wonderful incubators for raising and training children to be God honoring young adults. But as we all know, the potential for dysfunction in this wonderful utopia is huge!
We all, children and adults alike, have a sin nature and the battle rages in parent-child relationships. Sometimes parents are inconsistent or hypocritical in their teaching, training or discipline of their children and that causes confusion and resentment. Sometimes the children are strong willed, selfish, hard-hearted and simply refuse to submit to their parents.
Sadly in modern times, we have a wide spectrum of other issues which complicate and cause great dysfunction in what God designed. Absentee fathers or mothers too busy with jobs or hobbies or selfish pursuits, leave children to fend for themselves. Parents with addictions or perhaps worse, abusive patterns deeply wound children. And so much more… which is why Paul in verse 4 of Ephesians 6 turns his focus from admonishing children to be obedient and honoring to parents, now the focus is on parents, and specifically fathers. “Fathers, do not exasperate (or in another translation, ‘provoke’) your children. Rather, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” What don’t we understand about this my friends?
Have you ever heard of something called “the father wound”? I have found the two most deeply damaging wounds that are the hardest to recover from are ‘parental wounds’ and ‘church wounds’. Why? Because from the time we’re babies, we instinctively feel we should be able to trust our parents to love us, protect us, provide for us, guide us, right? So when parents don’t do that, and they ignore or abandon or reject their children, or worse yet… abuse their children physically, emotionally, sexually or in any other way, those parental wounds can so badly harm a child that they may struggle the rest of their lives in living a normal life and engaging in normal, healthy relationships.
The same is true with ‘church wounds’. We instinctively feel we should be able to trust the Pastor or Priest or Rabbi, right? So when that trust is broken and spiritual leaders become abusive or morally fail or in other ways break trust with their church family, the wounds can be so deep, some people might turn away from church and God for the rest of their lives.
I’m so glad the Bible gives us straight-forward, honest truth. Verse 4 is a challenge to every man in the world, and their relationship with every younger person whom they have any influence with… children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, employees. God’s standard is high and His warning severe. Jesus said when speaking about children: “…if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matt. 18:6) Wow that’s strong!
So my friends, do you see the contrast in verse 4? Rather than abusive parenting provoking children to anger and rebellion, we should be coaching our children and all young people we influence, in the training and instruction of the Lord Jesus!
Notice in vs. 5-9 Paul turns his focus on the relationship between ‘slaves & masters’. In our day, it is very appropriate to apply this to employees and employers. “…obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and sincerity of heart, just as you obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor but… like slaves of Jesus Christ, doing will of God from your heart, serve them wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord.”
Now I ask you… how would every workplace change if all employees worked like that? And how would it affect our entire economy if honesty and diligence was the norm on every job site?
And then there’s verse 9 which is a very strong call to God honoring employment management. Do you see Paul’s call to all employers and employees to lift their eyes to a higher authority, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, before whom all of us will stand and give account. Watch this friends, we’ll give account for our work ethic, our honesty on the job, our attitudes and words.
So, this weekend, may I invite you to ponder Ephesians 6:1-9 and link in Psalm 78:1-8. And then spend some good time thinking about your family heritage. None of us comes from a perfect family, and none of us has done parenting perfectly. We can’t go back and undo or redo… we can only go forward. But none of us is forced to continue wrong, dysfunctional parenting or ungodly employer-employee relationships.
And all of us will stand accountable to God for both… our family relationships and our job relationships. Let’s all spend some time this weekend asking God to show us what He would like changed in us, each of us, in these two arenas of relationships… and then with His help, let’s make the changes He shows us will produce God honoring homes and work places!
Lord Jesus I lift myself and my dear friends to you asking you to please show us how we can better live Ephesians 6:1-9 for YOUR glory!
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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