The Dynamics I

Eph.6:²⁴ “Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ” (NRSV)

Please study Eph.6 (NRSV), it is the focus of our discourse and learning for the next couple of days. One of my first thoughts after reading Eph.6 was who is Tychicus? I did a search and I discovered that Tychicus was mentioned in the Book of Acts, and he was faithfully doing great things, supporting God’s people and the Apostles. The names of some very powerful people in the Bible were not very popular. Your assignment today is to study Tychicus and discuss your findings in your collaborative Bible study groups.

Eph.6:¹ (NRSV) “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (emphasis added). The concept of obedience is big with God. However, God knows that man tends to abuse things. By ‘man’ I do not mean the male-man alone, I mean human beings in general. Everything you leave unregulated for human beings will be abused, even obedience. It is strange that some parents still insist that their forty-year-old children must do what they say and are quoting “Children obey your parents in the Lord” as their strong point. For instance, a man and his wife have planned a vacation to Dubai. But the man’s mother is insisting that the trip be cancelled. When her son, who by the way is over forty objects, she calls him a disobedient child. Is that correct, is that what the Bible meant? It may be correct if the forty-year-old is still behaving like a child. Some parents insist that in their eyes, their children are forever children.

The concept of obedience according to God’s Word, changes as a child matures. From when the child is under his or her parent’s roof, under their care and depending on their sustenance. The dynamics of obedience changes when the child stands on his or her feet and has a family. But the underlining principle of honour remains. What obedience means to a ten-year-old is different from what obedience means to a twenty-year-old even though he is still living with his parents. And it is different from what obedience means to a forty-year-old, that is not depending on the parents anymore (standing on his or her own feet), married or unmarried. When a child no longer depends on you for sustenance, please back off. You have become a consultant. When you advise him or her, you must be humble enough to know that they may not take the advice. It means you have actually succeeded in raising an independent human being. It is a plus for you!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please help me understand the times and seasons in my life, and give me the grace to respond with wisdom in all things, in Jesus Name. Amen!