The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 6:1-3, “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 that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the Earth.”

Recently, I viewed a documentary that dealt with some serious issues in which children younger than

teenagers were involved. That prompted my reading of the above verses and utilizing this space to

warn everyone (children and adults) of our responsibility to keep our eyes on Jesus and adhere to His every command.

We are all children until we either reach the respected level of adulthood or live apart from our parents. Some would perhaps wish to read that first line as “…obey your parents when they are in the LORD.” Yet, that is NOT what the Scripture says. If you have not reached adulthood or continue to reside in your parents’ home, you are to be subject to them. The Greek word “obey” (?????????) is

a present, active imperative verb, second person plural, which includes all “children” and emphasizes the command to submit to parental wishes.

To “honor” one’s parents means the children are to respect and revere the parents, inasmuch as they have authority over all who reside in their house. The value of this to the LORD is noted in that the commandment is the first in Scripture to carry with it the promise of long life on the Earth. In the practical sense, if one never learns to respect and obey his parents, he will never grow into adulthood with respect and obedience of any authority, legal, moral, or corporate. The Home is the preparatory level for all life-learning.

Parents, too, have the counter-responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go” –that way being the way of the LORD as noted multiple times in Holy Scripture. Children, such as I viewed in the documentary mentioned previously, go bad because their parents are either bad themselves or neglectful to engage in proper training of the child. Still, unwise parents are no child’s excuse for involvement in unwise activities. The problem with juveniles today arises from the lack of good parental instruction. And the reason for the lack of good parental instruction lies with the parents’ parents! The LORD has great and glorious things for those who follow His commands!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”