And we get to study in Ephesians Chapter 6.
And I'm going to call this part one because I don't think I'm
going to make it through maybe 1/3 of the chapter today.
We're not going to cover a ton, but as I started to study this
more and try to dive into it and bring out the beauty in God's
word, I kind of got slowed down in just a few verses.
Because there's a lot here that we can talk about with regard to
honouring parents and ultimately maybe getting too into how we
are to work for our bosses, we as bond servants, things like
that. So we may not even get to the
second-half year of the goals. Today we may just focus on the
parents alone depending on how time and technology permits.
So if you're going to turn there, we're in Ephesians
Chapter 6, a quick refresher to get us reminded of where we're
at in this book. This book has a purpose of
reminding Christians other spiritual blessings in Christ.
So the first three chapters of this book, Paul is telling them
all these wonderful things they have to look forward to, all
these wonderful things they have to enjoy as Christians.
And because of that, we're now in the section of the chapter
where he's calling them to respond to that.
Because you have such a great set of spiritual blessings.
Because he sets you on on in the heavenly places with Christ.
Because he has called you and giving you purpose that is so
great, that is from the Father, from the Son, from the Spirit,
that we are raised and seated on the throne and reconciled into
the temple. Because of all these things he
wants us to walk as imitators of God, to not walk like the
Gentiles walk, but to walk in harmony.
And we're in this section with where he's discussing submission
and how Christians our attitude is to be submissive and being
willing to put the other's interest ahead of ourselves and
to serve other people instead of just always serving our own
selfish desires, our own selfish needs.
And we're in this section now, Ephesians 6, talking about
submission that's required with parents and children and
ultimately masters and servants. So just a couple, just a verse
to kind of lead us in from the last chapter.
We were in chapter 5, verse 33, where it said, nevertheless, let
each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and
let the wife see that she respects her husband.
So we talked about the submission and the love and the
the relationship that exists between the husband and wife
last time. And now he's moving on to
another relationship that exists.
And the first one we're going to talk about today is children,
Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right disclaimer.
I probably would not have talked chosen to talk about marriage,
chosen to talk about parenting when I am completely a novice.
But the word is let us here, so I don't want to skip over it.
So I'll be looking forward to seeing your guidance, your
wisdom, and your advice as I try to apply these principles,
because most of you in this room have way more experience than I
do. Children, obey your parents in
the Lord, for this is right. First of all, what is obedience
really? Obedience is just a form of
submission. We've talked about submission
these last several weeks. Submission is saying I'm going
to put what you are saying above my own desires, my own will, my
own. Think so's and obedience is
really the foundation of everything we do as followers of
God. Children are perfect examples of
what we as Christians should be toward God because we ask
children to obey as they should. But we ask children to obey
largely because we know that we have their best interests at
heart. We're not asking kids to do
things and obey things. They're going to harm them.
We ultimately have their best interest and may we understand
ourselves in light of this perspective with God.
God tells us things and we go, I don't want to do, I don't want
to do that. And we we push back.
We fight against his will, but he, he always has what's best
for us at heart. We serve a good God and we can
be thankful that he's not pushing us to do things that are
really not again our best interest.
So children are to understand or to obey, and maybe later
understanding will come. Hopefully they will understand
later. But obedience doesn't have to
mean children always understand why.
Most of the times kids don't have the perspective, as parents
say, you know things like if only they understood why I'm
asking this, they would listen to me.
If only they understood. Don't we say the same thing?
Or couldn't God say the same thing about us individually in
our personal lives? Obedience acknowledges we don't
have to have all the answers to do right.
Obedience allows faith to have an impact in the life of a child
as they have faith in the guidance of the parent.
And obedience with ourselves to God allows us to have faith that
we don't always know what's right in our own mind, but we
can trust in Him and it allows us to have faith in Him.
So it says ultimately bring it back to kids.
Children are to obey their parents in the Lord.
Now, different people have perspectives on what this in the
Lord means. Some of them say, you know what
means, that as long as they are giving you things to do that are
approved by the Lord, then do it.
And that's absolutely true. We should only have or expect
children to follow their parents in things that would not be
against God's will. So that's a that's a broad
umbrella concept. This reminds us primarily where
the real headship is God and our and our and our Lord are are
over all of this guidance to where no matter what the head
directly above you says, if it goes against what God says, then
you always defer to God. And others might say, well, this
applies to specifically Christians.
So if their parents are Christians, but I don't
necessarily agree with that. I think children have a
responsibility, especially until they reach an age where they're
out of the house, to be deferring and obeying parents
because that is God's designed order of authority.
And we're going to talk about that concept more here going
into verse 2. Verse two says honor your father
and mother. So before we get into this, and
where this concept of honoring is kind of brought out even
more, I want to talk about honour as a whole.
We as a culture have not done a good job with honour.
You look at other societies, we may have our criticisms of other
cultures and they we might say they're too strict, or they're
too this or that or whatever, because we as Americans think
everybody can do whatever they want all the time because
they're an American. We might look at other cultures
and see their example of how well they've done with honouring
their ancestors, honouring their parents, But we haven't done a
very good job of that. And I was reading in my in my
daily reading in the book of Romans and Romans has this to
say about the concept of honor and where it leads.
Romans one, verse 20 says for his Speaking of God, for his
invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the
creation of the world in the things that have been made so
that they are without excuse. What he's saying here is God has
beautiful attributes. Just look around you.
We have no excuse. Nobody has an excuse for well, I
didn't know God existed. Look around, he says.
Since the foundation of the world that's been the case,
they're without excuse for although they knew God, he's
saying it was past tense. Maybe it was our ancestors or
history of people. They knew God more closely in a
generation. Or maybe it's us.
Individually, we all are given an innate awareness of God.
God. The Bible says he has put
eternity in their hearts that we should grope for him, so we know
we have known. He says for all though they knew
God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.
So this is the root of so many problems, not honoring God and
not giving thanks to them. But instead they became futile
or empty or worthless in their thinking and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise.
They became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God.
So he goes on a little bit later and he says, therefore God gave
them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the
dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they
exchanged the truth about God for a lie.
What are we taking from this section of Romans?
Romans is reminding them where honor needed to start.
And The funny thing is, when they failed to honor God and
they did not glorify him as God, they in turn dishonored
themselves. They dishonored their bodies.
They just we turned to dishonor ourselves.
And it's funny, today the most common thing you hear, like
mental health is just love yourself, do yourself, just do
good for yourself. And it's like people are trying
to shortcut their way to a system of honor that's supposed
to embody itself in our lives. God wants there to be honor for
him. He wants there to be honor for
authorities and even wants us to be honored.
But when we don't honor God, a byproduct is we will be
dishonored. So then what's the solution?
We start with honoring God and glorifying him as God.
This is kind of the reverse as of Romans chapter one.
Then we honor authorities. That's part of this system of
respect and honor and a byproduct.
If we are dishonored when we don't honor God and we we we
divulge into sin, then we by byproduct of honoring God.
We are honored in the sense that's not why we do this.
We live for the glory of God, but a byproduct of that is we
will be honored. So may we avoid trying to
shortcut this whole system and say, I just got to honor myself,
I got to love myself, I got to make myself on this pedestal
because it won't work. This cycle will fall dead flat
if we start at the wrong place. OK, now the purpose of where
this is really going in the passage, he says honor your
father and mother. Honor means to hold in great
respect or to value or to hold in high regard.
For some people this may be easier than others.
May be a relationship you have with your parent or your
parents. Interaction with you may have
made this an easier thing. Not everybody has an easy task
at this, but he doesn't say certain people whose parents
deserve honor. He says honor your father and
mother. Why?
Why could this be a broad command in the 1st place #1?
I think it's might be sacrifice. God has ordained a system in
which we have to learn to be selfless at some point.
If you have kids now, that's the goal of our Christian walk has
become more and more or less filled with our self and to fill
it with others and fill it with serving God.
But the parents in relationship requires you to sacrifice of
yourself and God wants that to be honored.
There's pain involved. We should honor parents because
the pain they go through, especially the mother.
I've seen 10 months of brutal brutal pain.
Now that I've I've seen Taylor go through that they should be
honored for the pain that they go through for the selfless
service. Like we already said, putting
self down. Whether you're a Christian or
not, most parents do this on some level of another.
They need to be honored for that, for their commitment to
something good and pure, because it's the natural order.
They should be honored because God set a natural order of
authority in place and because it is completely wholesome.
There's a lot of things that we do or that our world does that
are not wholesome and kind of a waste of time.
Parenting is so cool because there is, it's so wholesome.
There is nothing wrong with anybody going on bringing a
beautiful new child into the world.
That's a wonderful thing. And so that's why I believe God
wants the children to honor their parents.
Because of these many reasons and and more, you might say.
And even today may we honor our parents.
Maybe you're not a child per SE. Maybe you're not in their the
household of your parents anymore.
Maybe you don't live with them. And you know, like, maybe this
doesn't apply to me. I just need to be getting honor
from somebody else. This applies to us in every
stage of our life. May we honor our parents.
And here's why Jesus took a big issue with this when it wasn't
carried out by older people. We've talked about children
obeying their parents, but even adults need to do something for
their parents. In Mark Chapter 7, verse 9,
Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and he's criticizing
them for the way they have thrown God's will to the side
for their own traditions. And here's what he says he said
to them all too well, or another translation says so nicely.
You reject the commandment of God that you may keep your
tradition. And here's here's what he's
talking about for Moses said honor your father and mother,
and he who curses father and mother let him be put to death,
he said. That's what God said.
God said you should honor them and it's death as the
consequence. If he responds in the opposite
way, but you say he's talking to the Jews, but you say, if a man
says to his father and mother whatever profit you might have
received from me is Qorban, that is a gift from God, then you no
longer let him do anything for his father and mother.
Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition,
which you have handed down and many such things you do.
What's he talking about? He's talking about they would
have this thing where they're like my property, my house, it's
all for the Lord. Everything I have is the Lord,
this core bond. Therefore, you don't have to
take care of your parents because it's all for the Lord.
It's it's frilly, it's fluffy. It's not practical.
He's like you've you've neglected your parents, your
elderly parents who need support in their older years.
You make God's word empty. It doesn't do anything.
It has no practical use if you're going to throw away your
responsibility to the people around you and say, oh, it's for
God through your tradition, which you've handed down and
many things such you do. That's why it's so important
that at any stage in our life, we honor our father and mother
and take care of them and respect them and show value and
and and value what they've brought to us, value what they
bring in their role. Now I want to kind of zoom in on
this other part. It says, which is the first
commandment with promise. So he's taking it back to the
Old Testament reference we've already alluded to, the Old
Testament being the, you know, the 10 commandments.
This was the first one he says with promise.
Now, from what I was reading from commentators, this is
obviously not the first commandment made in numerical
order. There's a list of them.
This is not the very first one. And it also it seems to not be
the first one that even had a promise attached to it.
And we're going to read what the promise is.
He says honor your father and mother.
And the promise is there's this thing coming.
But there's many commentators that would say, well, there are
other commandments that had promises before that.
So whether you think it's that answer or whether you don't, I
think it's true. Regardless, the concept stands.
There was a promise attached to this command.
That is wonderful. But I think a good solution to
all of these quandaries or whatever you bring up, is this
is the first commandment that we have a chance to obey as humans,
as Christians, your first thing you have a chance to do, there's
a promise attached to it as you got to obey your parents.
So I think that's what he's kind of referring to when he says
it's the first commandment of promise.
But either way, there's a promise attached to it.
But the concept is that they will be well with you and you
may live long on the earth. God's intention for parenting
and for obeying the parents is that we would have a long life
and a long and happy and good life.
That's ultimately God's will for us.
But this phrase long on the earth, as Frank is alluded to in
the Sermon on the Mount, it also could be translated in the land.
And they were preparing to enter the promised land.
These were Jews getting the command from God to do these
things, and he's leading them into a good land that would flow
with milk and honey and all this stuff.
And he wanted them to enjoy that.
He wanted them to enjoy the blessings of this land they were
coming to. But they couldn't do that unless
they started by obeying, obeying parents and appreciating and
honoring them for what they had to give and lead.
God wants us to enjoy many blessings and good things in
this life. Proverbs 3 verse one and two
says hear my son and accept my sayings and the years of your
life will be many. Proverbs 13 Verse 15 says
basically the sinful life is hard, the way of the ungodly is
difficult. And that's definitely true in
many senses. The physical, the emotional, the
spiritual stresses that sin puts in our lives.
It makes our lives harder. And a lot of times people talk
about, you know, like there's people out there living sinful
lives. Look how hard it is on them.
Well, what about us? What about the sin that my life
has brought difficulty with? What The sins in my life, The
things that I've done even this week, that have brought hardship
to my my own life, to my family. Sin makes our lives harder.
Maybe we follow the wisdom that comes from a wise parents and
godly guidance, and I'd recognize sin's influence even
on our own life because we've sinned plenty and it only has
ever brought us hardship and never brought us good things.
Now I just want to take a second to talk about this.
One more thing. It says this is the first
commandment with promise. Parents have a great
responsibility, I think, to do their job well because this is
the first commandment that people have a chance to obey.
But it also means that we as parents function as a kind of
stand in for God. When children are young, they
are not accountable to God in a eternal sense.
These these precious kids that are in here are not.
If they if they were to, if time were to end or if they were to
die today for some reason, God's not going to hold them
accountable for that. They're going to be peaceful and
and they're going to go to heaven because they're not
accountable to God. They're accountable right now to
the authority above them, which is their parents and parents.
We have such a great responsibility because we're a
temporary standing, you might say for God.
So anything we show them. About respecting their leaders
or their authority and obeying, We're going to be out of the way
someday. And they're going to look up to
authority and they're they're going to see God that way.
They're going to have a chance to translate that relationship,
that obedience, that respect to their Heavenly Father later on.
And many people who don't respect their Heavenly Father
probably started with not respecting their earthly father.
So may we treat this seriously because this is the first
commandment kids have a chance to participate in and learn
from. And I've got a lot to learn in
that regard for sure. Verse four he goes on to say and
you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath.
OK I think this word provoke it. The the the core concept is
don't irritate or kind of agitate them or frustrate them
and he's going to kind of give the all the other side of this
to bring them up. Nurture and admonition.
Train them with a positive spin on all of this on this parenting
but it's likely in the sense that making kids feel like they
can't do right. He another translation says do
not exasperate them don't make them feel like they can't win.
And as I was looking into this, trying to figure out, OK, how
to, how to make this come to life more, I came across a list
of things that a a parent can do to exasperate or frustrate or
provoke their kids. And here's a couple things I'll
start with, first of all, verbal abuse.
Now we'll get into maybe some more details that might clarify
some of these, but verbal abuse can make a kid turn to wrath,
because when a child is provoked, they get angry, they
turn to wrath, they want to lash out.
We've seen that verbal abuse is a is a very strong provoker for
kids #2 not showing support or love, lashing out in anger as
the parent staying angry with kids instead of providing A
consequence and then resolution. I think this is big because
there needs to be consequences in in as.
We're going to see in a minute that God advises consequence in
our lives, but he also advises resolution.
And everything we're about to go over is really just a concept
that we as Christians should be obeying anyway, just applied to
our kids. Sometimes we don't think that
they apply to us as parents because now we're the authority
and get to do whatever we want. I I don't know why we would make
that junk. But resolution is something God
exemplifies throughout the Bible and we want kids to see that
they can learn how to move on to have a consequence and then move
past that and and enjoy forgiveness, enjoy the fruits of
doing right. And we have to model this for
them. OK, let's continue on.
Another thing that they could, a parent could do to provoke,
especially a father to provoke to provoke their child is to
constantly find fault. And I think this will clarify
maybe what that means a little more.
Number one, I think placing unrealistic expectations on our
children would would it kind of fall under this constantly
finding fault if we have expectations that are
unrealistic #2 lacking clear expectations.
So if they don't know what I'm going to do or what they should
be doing, and they're just kind of always on their heels not
knowing how to respond and how to move forward, they're going
to be angry and upset. Being inconsistent with
discipline with our children can cause them to be provoked.
Ecclesiastes 8 verse 11 says because the sentence against an
evil work is not executed speedily.
Therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to
do evil. And you might say with multiple
children that could be the case. If one kid gets one response,
another gets another you. There's a lot of wisdom to be
had in this and and how to respond to specific situations
that you guys have more than me. But being inconsistent can
provoke kids giving our children too much freedom.
Proverbs 29 verse 15 says the rod and rebuke give wisdom, but
a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Next, ridiculing our children. Now, Like we said before,
anything that would be commanded to a Christian to do with their
speech also applies to parenting.
That we wouldn't ridicule or beat them down.
And that also goes for calling names, giving them degrade,
degradation instead of encouragement, failing to affirm
our children, which is acknowledging the good and
bringing out the good, and dwelling on the positive when it
is there. Our commands about speech are to
edify, which just means to build up, to rebuke, to exhort, but
nothing about belittling. Disciplining our children in
anger can lead to the wrath of a child refusing to admit our own
faults to our children. And this is basically a a way to
inject humility into a relationship.
If I admit when I make a mistake, it'll show humility
that the child needs to see. So they can in turn have
humility and understand that hey, they're they're trying to,
they're learning to. Mom and Dad are still trying.
They're learning as well, comparing them to siblings or to
other children. Again, a common concept in the
Christian life, 2nd Corinthians 10 verse 12, says we dare not
class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend
themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and
comparing themselves among themselves.
They're not wise. Comparison is not good with
other individuals. We're supposed to look to God as
our example, look to Jesus. But comparison is never helpful.
Yelling at and disrespecting our children in front of others.
Again, what does the Bible say to most Christians and or to all
Christians? Matthew 18, verse 15.
Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his
fault. Between you and him alone.
If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
This isn't about parenting, but it sure applies.
If we want to show them how to manage conflict, how to manage a
problem, go to them. Bring them alone.
Don't embarrass them so they can actually take in what we're
doing. Breaking our promises to
children and there's commandments about honesty and
following your word and and children can be provoked to
anger and to wrath by not doing that.
I thought this was interesting in the list that I read, failing
to listen to listen to our children's opinions.
And now I'm not saying that everything your kid ever says,
it needs to be just, Oh yeah, let's do it your way or you have
to listen to every single opinion because kids are going
to rattle on once they get to a certain age.
But if we just always dismiss them.
Proverbs 18 has this guidance. It says he who answers a matter
before he hears it is folly in shame to him.
He goes on to say the first one to plead his cause seems right
until his neighbor comes and examines him.
Proverbs advises to hear things out, so that doesn't mean OK in
every single situation you have to apply this concept.
But as a general rule, maybe we maybe that'll help with our kids
to see that we are listening to them and value them so where
they don't turn angry and upset. Nurturing, marital disharmony
and tension before our children if you're married.
So having that disharmony and tension is going to then
translate itself to the kids living a hypocritical life in
front of our children. And that's kind of you could
summarize everything we've said by that right there.
Just being hypocritical, not doing what we say we stand for
and modeling anger in front of our children.
These are ways that we can provoke our children.
So maybe the the exact opposite would be the guidance for us as
parents. But instead he says but bring
them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Some translations term that nurture.
So this is more of a a building up and a nurturing and that
connotation where this might be more of a an exhortation a this
is how you need to change, this is how you need to grow.
Don't be afraid to to push the kids to do more maybe and to
obey better than they have in the past.
But do not forget the nurturing side.
This verse he he addresses specifically to fathers, and I
think mothers do a great job naturally of nurturing.
They do a great job of of a building up and being there for
the kids in the ways that dads don't always have that same
instinct and their the responsibilities placed on the
father. Yes, to nurture, but he is
supposed to direct the home to make sure it follows in the
Lord. So yes, the mother will be
nurturing, and yes, the father can can exhort and to challenge
his kid to do better and to provide consequence and all
these things. But may the father in every home
do a good job of directing this as the spiritual head of his
home? That would be in the Lord.
That would be guided by the Lord's wisdom, the Lord's ways,
and setting the path for the kids.
I'm also thankful as we think about as parents.
That's a big responsibility as fathers.
That's a lot to expect. And we have a high standard.
I'm thankful because as we try to figure out what's the best
for our kids, parents can provide a lot of, can get a lot
of stress. There's a lot of information on
the Internet today about you should do this, You shouldn't do
that. Don't do that.
I can't believe you'd ever do that.
That's terrible. It's can be nauseating to read
all the advice and the experts and all the things they say, but
to know that God has my best interests at heart to where as I
try to do our best for we are best for Charlie and we want to
nourish and and nurture him as the best we can.
The fact that God has that interest for me and he knows
what's best for me makes me feel pretty thankful to be a a child
of His. To know that he's got the right
training and admonition for me. To know that I have the comfort
in my challenges, in my trials, in the pruning where he has to
change me, that he has what's best for my own support and
growth at heart. Aren't you glad that God knows
the challenges you need? The kick in, the kick in the
rear? We need the support and the
environment we need to be better.
Deuteronomy 6, verse six has these words of wisdom, I think
that really help encapsulate what we should be doing as
parents, it says. And these words which I command
you today, shall be in your heart again.
Not just parents for everyone, for everyone.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk
of them when you sit in your house, when you walk.
By the way, when you lie down, when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be
frontlets between your eyes. You know, every family has a
different system of how they get their spiritual time in or
whatever you might say, but you just have it always in front of
you. I just remember my parents were
really good about talking about the word, you know, before we go
to school, talking about on the way home from church, what you
know about the lesson or about things that were going on.
They just always worked it in. We didn't always have the
structured regiment Bible study all the time, but we talked
about the Word and I'm thankful to them for that, that it will
always be a sign, our hand and a front lit between your eyes.
It would always be in front of us with our families and as I
was reading and and Samuel this week, I ran across this example
that I thought was powerful. As we kind of close up.
We're not going to get to employee and and boss
relationship. Today we're going to finish up
with this. I read about the commitment of a
mother in First Samuel 1. It says the nalkana her husband
said to her. Hannah, why do you weep?
Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved?
Am I not better to you than ten sons?
So the context of what's going on here, Hannah is this woman
who can't have children and she's just been tore up about
it. She's discouraged, she can't
have kids. She wants them so badly.
And her husband as husband do. What's wrong?
I'm not good enough for you as husbands, so obtusely might say
It's not about that. But the husband's like, am I not
more valuable? So Hannah arose after they had
finished eating and drinking in Shiloh.
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorposts of
the Tabernacle of the Lord, and she was in bitterness of soul,
and prayed to the Lord, and wept in anguish.
And she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will
indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and Remember
Me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your
maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all
the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.
The the thing I want to talk about from this and bring out is
she was desperate for a child. And the Lord ends up giving her
that child, and the Lord ends up blessing her, and she follows
through. She takes him to the temple and
turns him over to the Lord once he's raised.
And that's a great example to me of what our attitude should be
as parents is God this kids yours.
And I just want to build him up and prepare him for you.
And this it took her. I don't know if she would have
done this if she if she was able to have kids really quick and
easy like the other one, that she just she just popped him
out. It was no problem for her.
She wasn't probably as thankful as Hannah was.
And she didn't have such an intense devotion, maybe to the
Lord as these kids did, as her child Samuel did.
May we have that kind of thankfulness for our children
and our commitment to give them to the Lord.
Whether we've had trouble having kids or not, we can appreciate
them for what they are, the value they bring, the hope that
they are, and their usefulness to the Lord.
And then we have that attitude, even if we haven't suffered.
Maybe, like Hannah has, she can naturally appreciate that.
But may we instil this mentality into our own relationship?
But maybe you're saying, what about me?
Like, this isn't my responsibility.
I'm not raising kids. I think this, in this attitude
is simply, Lord, whatever's in my hands right now, I give to
you. And maybe for you, it's not
kids. Or maybe it was kids.
Now it's not anymore. What about me?
1st Corinthians, 7, verse 32? He's talking about how he wants
them to be focused on serving the Lord.
And he kind of advises them. Paul advises them, you know, if
you can avoid getting married and getting caught up in the
stresses and the pressures of taking care of a family, then
the benefit is you always just get to focus your time and
energy on the Lord. So even if you don't have a
family, maybe you have a special opportunity to focus your energy
on the Lord. And that's Hannah's mentality
ultimately, right? Like God, I've got this, I want
to use it to serve you. Maybe we have that mentality,
whether we have kids or not, so that we may serve the Lord
without distraction. Maybe that's where you're at.
You don't have a lot of distraction to care for the
needs of a spouse or a child or whatever the case is.
Maybe we serve the Lord without distraction with the same
attitude that Hannah came to the Lord with.
Ultimately, in First Corinthians 10, this should be our attitude.
So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God. And we are not going to get into
bond servants. We're at time right now that
this is a good breaking point. I'm really excited for this
because this is to me one of the most applicable and motivating
things for me I can think of to go into my new week, my new
year, but we're going to have to hold off on that.
So I'm looking forward to next time.
We know we have a good father, and we know we have a great
responsibility as parents to echo that and to embody that for
our kids in this life. And we have a chance to follow
him. And if you're not already
following him, that good father you can today.
You can be one who hears the Word and repents of your past
life. Say, I'm going to change you
from my will to God's will, confessing that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God, that by Him we may be saved.
You'll be baptized in the remission of for the remission
of sins and be added to His Church.
You can do that today, but if you if you already have done
that and you want to make something right, we are a
family. We are here to support one
another, to grow together, and we'd be happy to help you with
one of either case while we stand while we.
We thank you for listening to our podcast put on by the Church
of Christ at 2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield.
If you would like any additional information or you would like to
receive a free Bible correspondence course by mail,
please e-mail us at info at churchofchristbakersfield.com.
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