Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
(Colossians 3:18-21 NLT)
Many in the church today are either not willing or not ready to hear this with all the voices making themselves known about “equal rights” which is really a trick, a Trojan horse of sorts, from the enemy to rob people of the rights God has set in place for all mankind and the family has suffered greatly because of their blindness. Colossians 3:18-21 is God’s direction for the family and with each command that is given a stepping stone is placed for the foundation of the one following it and with each new step more responsibility is given. In this way the family works together as one to offer a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord, through obedience as the family humbly submits their will for God’s.
Wives often don’t realize it but their devotion to the Lord is the foundation of the family. Their attitude either creates a place for the family to grow so that freedom in the Lord is known by her family or turmoil takes over to bind and blind the lives in her household. It is the wife’s decision that either builds up the husband so he can focus on Christ or tears him down so his soul is consumed with trouble and so God says to submit so that He may lead the husband by God’s Holy Spirit and verse seventeen says whatever we do or say do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Next in the same way husbands are to love their wives and never treat her harshly. This command is given so that it does not depend on what the wife does or does not do. Yes it would be easier and greater things would be accomplished if she was obedient to the Lord but it is not a prerequisite for the husband to be obedient to the Lord, for this command was given to him by God and it is to God that he will answer. Furthermore the husband has the greater responsibility whether the wife wants to partake in God’s blessings or not, it is the responsibility of the husband to love her and treat her right and through his obedience he provides testimony to the love Christ Jesus has for the church, not only to her but to his children and those who know the family.
Next are the children, again in the same way the wife and husband are to be obedient to the Lord so are the children to be obedient, for when they choose not to obey their parents it is not only the parents they have to answer to but ultimately to God! Once again obedience to God is not dependent upon the steps before it. Regardless of what the child thinks of his or her parents or parent God expects for all children to obey their parents always. If the parent is wrong it is through the child’s obedience that God will grip the heart of the parent and move them towards making things right but if the child is disobedient that child distracts the parent and tempts them to take their eyes off of God’s leading.
Once again the father has the greater responsibility and this time he is told not to aggravate his children and you guessed it the father’s obedience to the Lord does not require the child or children obey the step before. In the same way the father’s disobedience will distract and hinder the children from knowing God because of the turmoil he is causing. In each case the greater responsibility is on the husband and father but he is not an island; by the wife and children being obedient to God’s Word they enable him to be who God has called him to be. So wives do you have a husband who is secluded and seemingly lazy? Children, do you have a father who isn’t living up to your expectations? Then examine your own lives and test yourselves to see if you are being obedient to God’s Word. Fathers, does your family drain you of energy, is your soul filled with trouble when you think about your family and the situations they are in? Then see them for what they are ~ the Lord’s harvest! Witness to them of God’s love, provoke them to be who God is calling them to be not through anger but through God’s love. Treat your wives as Christ Jesus treats the church and plant seeds in your children’s hearts that point to the Big Dream, the vision God is calling them to. Give them something to spend their energy on, encourage and give hope so they may do greater things than you have done. Do you want to see your children succeed? Then prepare them and send them on their way through your obedience.
All these things can and will be accomplished by and through obedience to the Lord. What do we take God for, does He or does He not know what He is doing? A better question is this… do we trust Him with our lives? The Lord says test Him in this. Be obedient, whole heartedly and see if He does not bless you, see if you don’t become the family you always wanted and hoped for.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in My Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put Me to the test!
(Malachi 3:10 NLT)
