Family Life At Its Finest

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise.
Ephesians 6:1-2

Paul quoted the words of Moses to show that things “go well” for obedient children and they “enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3). And obedient children develop best when rooted “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

John and Charles Wesley, great eighteenth-century revival leaders in England, were taught to obey as Jesus did. Their mother, Susannah Wesley, gave this description of their upbringing.

WALK WITH SUSANNAH WESLEY
“I insisted on conquering a child’s will, for when this is thoroughly done a child can be governed by the reason and piety of his parents until its own understanding comes into maturity, and the principles of religion have taken root in its mind.

“Self-will is the root of all sin and misery. Whatever promotes this in children ensures their wretchedness; whatever checks it increases their future happiness. The parent who indulges the child’s self-will does the devil’s work: makes religion impracticable, salvation unattainable, and is working to damn his child’s soul forever.

“Without renouncing the world no one can follow my method. Very few would devote more than twenty years of their life to save the souls of their children which they think may be saved without so much ado. Yet that was my intention, however unskillfully and unsuccessfully managed.”

WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Young person, if God’s own Son willingly submitted to earthly parents, is he asking too much for you to do the same? Parents, if your child sees you as standing in the place of God, what needs to change in order for the picture to be accurate and consistent?

Obedient children … honored parents … God-honoring lives. That’s family life at its finest—in the family of God!