Ephesians 6:1-4 — "But I'm not married" 1) point = missed 2) these verses = for you

READ THIS: Ephesians 6:1-4

1 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 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

So, you probably thought you were off the hook if you're a student who has been reading the last chapter with us, but JOKES, Paul just came at you, too! Each of y'all has a parent figure at home, whether it's a mom, a dad, both, a grandparent, etc. In the Old Testament, the first commandment that is about the way humans relate to other humans is about children honoring their parents, and that commandment is also the first that has a promise attached to it. In the OT, it is written that children should honor/obey/respect their parents so that things can go well for them for their whole lives. There is something powerful when we obey/respect our parents. It changes who we are as people. Have you ever seen another kid just be SO rude to their parents, and you kind of cringe? There's something wrong about the disrespect, and that disrespect ends up hurting the kid more than anything, because that becomes how that kid treats other people. 

But, don't worry, parents have a role to play, too. Back in Roman times, fathers in a house had a bunch of authority and controlled their kids' lives, so here, Paul pushes back against that. Fathers should be concerned far more about whether their kids know Jesus through them than anything else, more than grades, more than sports, more than anything! It's not a dad's job to nitpick everything their kid does, but instead to continually show their kid who Jesus is!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. What's the most disrespectful thing you've done to your parent(s)/guardian recently? Have you ever said sorry?

2. What's something you have seen one of your parents do that is just exasperating? (Exasperating=irritating/frustrating) [@ Ethan/Trey/MrEarl/etc: What have you done recently that you think was more irritating than helpful? How could you maybe instruct your kid in Jesus better next time?]
 
TRY THIS:
 
I triple dog dare you to either:
1) Apologize for whatever happened in question 1
2) Ask your parent(s) why they do that thing you thought about in question 2
3) Do both
4) Bonus option for parents only: Ask your kid(s)/spouse what's an exasperating thing you do and if it is helpful or hurtful

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