Page 167 - Ephesians

I won’t develop this much, but let me suggest you study 1 Timothy
5, and kindred scriptures, which show the responsibility of children
and grandchildren to take care of aged parents. God has put that
upon us. Matter of fact, He says if we don’t do that, we’re “Worse
than infidels”. I believe if Christians obeyed God in terms of
their parents, there would be little need of nursing homes. Of
course, there are exceptions, and sometimes it’s not medically
possible. But, oh, there would be a big difference if children were
honoring God in terms of honoring their parents. Still the principle
is clear. We are responsible to God, to obey delegated authority

Our relationship toward our earthly father will give us a pretty
good indication of our relationship toward our heavenly father.
The tragedy is that our children will desire our heavenly Father, to
the degree they desire their earthly father. They will look for their
heavenly home, to the degree they desire there earthly home.
Our home is to be a heaven on the earth. And our families are to
be replicas of God’s family. We are to deal with them the same
way He deals with us.

Look at verse 4, “And fathers, do not provoke your children to
anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of
the Lord.” Why are fathers mentioned here and not mothers?
Well, at first I puffed up my chest when I read this and said,
“That’s because fathers are the authority in the family, and we’re
the ones responsible to bring them up in the nurture and
admonition, of the Lord. I’m the boss.” As I studied it, I don’t
think the Holy Spirit quite intended that. Instead I think He
intended something like this, “Fathers, we know that you are
made of dust, and we know all your weaknesses. Among those
weaknesses, is the fact, that you are more apt to provoke your
children to anger than the mother is. So you have a special
warning here”. I think that’s what God is intending.

You see, the Greek word for “Bring them up”, in verse 3,
carries the meaning “fondle”, “cherish”, “gentleness”, and
“forbearance”. And when it says to bring them up in the discipline
and instruction, or King James says, “The nurture and
admonition of the Lord,” the Greek word for “discipline”, or