Tuesday June 5, 2012

If you  have a teen ask them what they think about obedience to parents.

 

Read Deuteronomy 21:10-23; Ephesians 5:21– 6:9

 

Today we see regularly on the news or even in our own suburbs, hoards of teenagers drinking and running amuck. Their level of respect for any authority and, indeed, for any body, is below zero. Many elderly people and families have complained of their noise, their disrespect and defiance. Many live in fear of these teens.

 

God’s laws designed to foster and nurture holy and healthy relationships apply to the family as well. His created order in the family involved parents loving children and nurturing them while children obeyed parents with love and respect. From God’s point of view, this order was non-negotiable.

 

In the Old Testament, such teenagers who refused to obey parents and to treat them with respectful obedience after repeated yet unsuccessful discipline were to be taken to the elders at the town gate. The father and mother would form the two witnesses and the elders would stone the teenager to death. Hear how seriously God takes rebellion and disobedience towards parents. Stubborn and unrepentant teenagers were permanently removed from society. Then God declares, ‘You must purge the evil from among you.’  God labels disobedience towards parents as ‘evil’. It must be purged from society.

 

This section of the Bible may sound harsh and unloving but is it as harsh and unloving as the profligate (the word means licentious and immoral or reckless) and drunkard teenager that refuses to obey and honour his/her parents? Is it as harsh and unloving as the grief and heartache, shame and embarrassment caused to the parents by this particular teen? Is it as harsh as causing grief to dozens if not hundreds of residents and causing many to live in fear?

 

Society would do well to stop making excuses for anti-social, negative and destructive behaviour and to start removing it from society. Wouldn’t it be better to discipline teens and others now than to have them face the wrath and anger of God? God does not muck around with the family unit. He has created a set order for our welfare and benefit. Destroying  or altering that order causes grief and heartache on many fronts.

 

Prayer:

¥ Pray for the teens in our youth group. Pray that they would grow in holiness and obedience to their parents. Ask God to reveal to each one just how serious God is about the family unit. Ask God to create a ground swell of obedience and love among our teens that reaches out to others. Pray that our teens would model godliness and Christ-likeness in an attractive way that draws others to Christ for salvation.

¥ Pray for the children in our Kings Kids ministry. Ask God to fill these children with the love of Christ, with obedience to parents and to have within them a deep desire to minister, serve and reach out to others. Pray that our teachers and parents would be filled with love and wisdom as they parent and teach these precious little ones. Pray that preparations for our outreach show, CSI Jerusalem, would progress smoothly and that the children would be learning their parts well. Pray that this show would bring many into hear about the Lord Jesus Christ.