“Wives, submit to
your own husbands, as to the Lord. For
the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church,
His body, and is Himself its Savior. Now
as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their
husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave
himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
washing of water with the word…In the same way husbands should love their wives
as their own bodies. He who loves his
wife loves himself. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is
right. Honor your father and mother
(this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you
and that you may live long in the land.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the
discipline and instruction of the Lord.”-Ephesians 5:22-26a, 28; 6:1-4 (ESV).
Yesterday
we looked at Jesus’ commandment for us to love one another. Continuing the theme of love, today we look at
the family unit, one of the most precious and valuable units on earth for love
to be nurtured and grow. Paul could not
have made his teaching clearer on the responsibilities of husbands, wives and
children in a family. He likens the
intimate family unit to the love Christ has for the church and the church
should have for the Lord Christ. Such a
close relationship should ideally exist between husband and wife that nothing
could put it asunder. However in our day
when statistics show that about half the marriages end in divorce, we might ask
if the family unit has lost its value.
Begun in the Garden of Eden by God Himself and intended for the husband
and wife who love each other to be firmly and permanently bound together in
love and commitment, sin has entered the sacred relationship of marriage as it
did with Eve and Adam’s fall in the Garden.
Instead of an ideal atmosphere for a man and woman to grow and develop a
strong relationship, in modern society we have forgotten the intentions and
mandates of God. When a marriage
relationship deteriorates and breaks up, more than just the couple suffer the
consequences. It spells failure on the
part of two people who began a relationship in love and anticipation. Dreams
are dashed. The future cannot be as they
once hoped. If children are present,
they suffer from insecurity, lack of direction, and absence of a solid, loving
family relationship. Their future is
often in jeopardy because they feel rejection and may even blame themselves for
their parents’ separation. The
extended family is also affected, with ties severed and distrust
engendered. The community as a whole
suffers, for weaknesses in families affect churches, schools and other phases
of the social structure. If there is
trouble in the home, it is sure to touch all the members of that family and
their associates.
The
picture is a gloomy one indeed, when a family unit splits apart for lack of
love and understanding. But let us
imagine a solid unit, one that follows the precepts set forth by Paul in his
letter to the Ephesians. Even when
dating, a couple can seek God’s guidance and His way for the time when they
will be united as family. Mutually
making up their minds that love, respect and growth will be the goals is vital
to having a lasting relationship. And
remembering what made each other happy when dating—or seeking to win the
other’s favor—should be a continuing goal.
Who is your best friend? Whose
company do you enjoy most? If you can
answer your spouse, even after many years of marriage, you are indeed among the
fortunate. And when the couple is
blessed with children they should take seriously the responsibilities of
parenthood. Permissiveness and lack of
discipline has been a plague to families.
The couple should mutually agree—and with God’s help and the support of
a strong church group—decide to rear their children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. We have God’s
promise that when they are old they will not depart from their Christian
training. And when the time comes that
children must care for aging parents, to honor and care for them will not be a
burden if they have been taught all along that parents deserve respect and
honor. Thank God for your family. Dedicate every member in it to Him.
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