Day 13 - Change Your Life!

Day 13 - Change Your Life!

Can you see now how God's Word builds step-by-step, precept-by-precept? When you read, meditate on the words, the sentences, the chapters, the books, the Word...the wisdom and perfection of God are apparent and applicable to our lives today Beloved!

Pray, Read the book of Ephesians, Praise God for His Glory!!

STUDY VERSES:

Children and Parents

6 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.

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. How do children honor their mother and father? Do your children honor you? If not, are you following the direction given in Ephesians 4-5?

2. What is the promise for children who honor their parents? Do you honor your parents--even if they are non-believers? Did you parents or parent abuse you, provoke you, neglect you? If so, how can you still honor them in this context?

3. The scriptures tell the father to discipline children. Where does this leave the mother in disciplining children? Refer to Ephesians 5 and Genesis 2, what happens when husband and wife join together? How does that change your view of this verse?

4. What are we charged with instructing our children to do? Is it to "win", "be the best", "achieve success", "be somebody special"? How much energy have you put into those instructions? Have you put as much energy into instructing your children in the Word of God? Do your children know the love that God has for them?

5. If you have pushed worldly achievements on your children as a measure of success or goodness, what can you do now to show them true love, true knowledge that will last eternally?

6. Are your children grown? If so, what can you, as a parent, do to instruct them in the Lord? Search scripture and find examples of adult relationships in the Lord and take notice of what those people did, didn't do, said, and rebuked. (See Paul and Timothy; Peter and Jesus; Obadiah; Joseph and his brothers; David and Jonathon; Ruth and Naomi; Esther and Laban; Mary and Martha as examples).

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Commentary from the ESV:

Eph. 5:21–6:9 Submission to One Another. Verse 21 is transitional, connecting with the previous section and leading to what follows. Submission is illustrated in various family relations in 5:22–33 (wives/husbands), 6:1–4 (children/parents), and 6:5–9 (slaves/masters). See also Col. 3:18–25.
Eph. 6:1–4 Children and Parents. The submission of 5:21 is further explained as meaning that children should submit to their parents. This submission takes the form of obedience to them. Parents are to nurture their children in the Lord.
Eph. 6:1 Children. The second family relationship illustrating submission to proper authority (5:21) is that of children and parents. The Mosaic law prescribed death for the child who struck or cursed a parent (Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9), and Paul lists such disobedience as one of many grave sins (Rom. 1:30; 2 Tim. 3:2). However, Paul urges in Eph. 6:1–3 the positive duty of children to obey their parents. Obedience is due to both parents; the mother's submission to her husband does not remove her parental dignity but rather increases it. In the Lord modifies the verb “obey.” right. What makes such obedience “right” or “just” is that it conforms to God's holy commandment, quoted in vv. 2–3.
Eph. 6:4 Fathers. As earlier, Paul begins his admonition with a negative action to avoid, followed by a positive action to develop (see note on 4:28). Paul addresses the responsibility of fathers in particular, though this does not diminish the contribution of mothers in these areas (see Proverbs 31). provoke . . . to anger. Obedient children are particularly vulnerable, so a domineering and thoughtless father's actions would be discouraging to them (Col. 3:21). bring them up. Parents play a crucial, God-ordained role in the discipleship of their children “in the Lord” (Eph. 6:1); see Deut. 6:1–9.
Parental discipleship in the discipline and instruction of the Lord should center on the kinds of practices already outlined in Ephesians 4–5.
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These few short verses have much wisdom for us as children and parents. If you do not have children of your own, this instruction still applies to you. Take every opportunity to instruct children in the ways and love of the Lord. Honor your elders and listen to them for they have much wisdom to teach us through their joys and sorrows. As we grow in the knowledge of God and His Word, your heart begins to expand to see the possibilities of doing God's will any place you are at the moment.

As we saw earlier, we are to let His Light Shine! That is the message my pastor spoke on yesterday. Read Matthew 21 to understand how the Light Shines! It is only through Jesus, who was given the power and privilege of being the Light by God the Father. The Holy Spirit shines by convicting and illuminating sin in man's life as taught Him by the Father. All that is done is to glorify God, to do His Will and to Shine the Light of Love. Jesus is Love and His Word is how we get, give, and demonstrate love to the world.

God keep you today, Beloved! Shine, Let it Shine, Let it Shine! Hallelujah, Sister Lisa