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God’s Heart for the Family: Children, Obey Your Parents… Fathers, Bring Up Your Children

Ephesians 6:1-4 NIV

 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 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Children

  1. Obey: Do what you’re told by your parents and be teachable with them, especially in your childhood years.
  2. Honor: Esteem and respect your parents in childhood and adulthood, speak honorably to and about them.
  3. Promise: Children who honor and obey their parents tend to fare better as they continue in this temporal life on account of the life lessons and discipline they obtained along the way.

Fathers

  1. Fathers: As the head of the home, fathers are integral to the upbringing of their children.
  2. Exasperate: Do not place unreasonable expectations on your children, or micromanage, but give grace as God does.
  3. Training: People skills, work ethic, hygiene, self-confidence, time management, cleanliness, and various other disciplines must be taught in the home. These are instilled through verbal instruction and repetition, by our own example, and by reward and punishment.
  4. Instruction: Verbal instruction in the the Word of God.