“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”
~ Ephesians 6:1
Hi James and Ellen,
Ask your dad what the first verse in the Bible was that his ma taught him to remember. What did your dad tell you was the first verse in the Bible that your grandmaa taught him to remember? Did your dad tell you that the very first verse that your grandmaa taught him to remember is the verse that begins Ephesians 6? Verse 1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Has your dad and/or ma made you memorize this verse? Has your dad and/or ma ever quoted this verse to you? Why do you think that your grandmaa did not want your dad to ever forget and to always remember this verse in the Bible? Your grandmaa and grandpaa wanted your dad to grow up being obedient to his dad and ma. Do you think that your dad was always obedient to your grandmaa and grandpaa? Ask your dad if he was always obedient to his dad and ma. Do you think that your dad was an obedient kid when he was your age? Your grandmaa and grandpaa are very thankful that your dad – when he was little, hardly ever gave your dad and ma a difficult time. Because your grandpaa tried out a couple of different kinds of jobs after he and your grandmaa were married, your grandmaa – after your dad was born, had to find a job to help pay the bills. With the help of your grandmaa’s ma, your grandmaa and grandpaa were able to buy in Claymont, Delaware – in the Greentree subdivision, a new duplex. Your grandmaa worked for a time as Beaver Valley Nursery’s bookkeeper. Your grandmaa also worked for a time as the bookkeeper at Mullins. Mullins was a men’s clothing store that was located in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. Your grandmaa and grandpaa left your dad at different places when both your grandmaa and grandpaa were working. When your dad was around one years old, your grandmaa and grandpaa left your dad with his Aunt Nettie. When your dad got a little older and after your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad moved to Greentree, your grandmaa and grandpaa left your dad with a good friend – Sue Collins. Sue had lived in the same Clifton Park apartment complex building in which your grandmaa and grandpaa lived when your dad was born. Sue and her husband Jonny became good friends of your grandpaa and grandmaa. After your dad got even older, your grandmaa and grandpaa left your dad at a daycare center.
What does God say will happen when a kid is obedient to his dad and ma? God says that if a kid is obedient to his dad and ma, the kid will honor his dad and ma and that it will go well with the kid. God says that an obedient kid who honors his dad and ma may have an enjoyable long life living on planet Earth. It is very important that a dad in particular does not do or say anything that will exasperate, frustrate and/or bug his kid or any of his kids. Ask your dad if your grandpaa ever did or said something that exasperated, frustrated and/or bugged him. If your dad said no, your dad is being too kind about your grandpaa. It is very important that a dad in particular trains and teaches his kid or kids Biblically based truths. God – as God the Father, has given a dad in particular the responsibility of making sure that his kid or kids are in places – such as sitting around a table together during mealtimes as a nuclear family where a prayer is prayed before and after the meals and the Bible and/or a devotional is read after each meal, going to a Christian School and/or being in a weekly Sunday School class, where his kid or kids can hear the Bible read, talked about and applied proactively. Your grandpaa knows that he could have been a lot, lot better kid trainer and teacher than what he was with your dad. Your grandpaa knows that he was a better kid trainer and teacher with your Aunt Lynn when she was little than he was with your dad. Not long after your Aunt Lynn was born, your grandmaa and grandpaa became really challenged by a deeper life speaker. The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota had invited Don McKaughn to give a weeklong series of messages on the book of Esther. Your grandmaa and grandpaa had just begun going to the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen when Don McKaughn arrived. Don McKaughn really woke up your grandpaa when he ‘inadvertently’ pointed directly at your grandpaa one evening and said ‘if you say that you are a Christian, why aren’t you acting like one’.
What does God say that you need to do as Christ-follower kids in order to be protected from the schemes and wiles of the devil – who is Satan? God tells you to dress up in armor. The kind of full armor that God wants you to dress up in is figurative armor. The figurative armor – which has a belt, breastplate, feet covering, shield, helmet and sword and which utilizes God’s strength and mighty power to keep unseen, vile rulers and authorities, dark world powers and evil spiritual forces who are in heavens’ realms from spiritually hurting you. The belt stands for God’s truths that are to be tied around your waist. The breastplate stands for God’s righteousness that is to cover your heart. The covered feet stand for feet that are ready to carry the Good News of God’s truths to the guys, gals and kids who God – as God the Spirit, has prepared to receive the Good News. The shield stands for the faith that a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid needs to have to stop and extinguish the flaming arrows that have been shot by the devil at him or her to cause compromises of his or her life principles. The helmet stands for the eternal security that salvation in God – as God the Son, gives to a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid. The sword stands for God’s word that a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid is to use to attack the devil whenever he or she feels the devil is attacking him or her or whenever he or she sees another Christ-follower guy, gal or kid being attacked. Who is helping you put on your God-armor? How well is your God-armor fitting you? Has your God-armor been protecting you from Satan?
Ephesians 6 (800)