1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Always be Joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)
There is no greater joy then the peace and love found in family. But what does that look like? How do we honor and respect one another?
The Apostle Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians (5:12-22) rings true in family.
We teach our children to honor their leaders, their parents and grandparents, their teachers and pastors. We teach them to respect them for the work they do, for the guidance they give. One of the ways we show honor and respect to those in authority over us is to live in peach with each other.
As parents there is no greater joy then in watching our children get along. I love peaceful days where we spend hours putting together puzzles or playing video games amidst laughter, joy quickly exits when bickering begins.
Laziness is not rewarded. We offer encouragement to those who struggle and we help those who are younger or do not understand the expectations. We offer patience, kindness, and a helping hand to one another.
When one of us is cruel to another we do not reward that behavior with more cruelty. It only brings about more anger and disrespect. Instead we extend grace and forgiveness to the one who was cruel and we seek to restore the peace through discussion and good deeds.
No matter what we face as a family, whether deployment, cancer, grief, etc… we are to express joy and thanksgiving for one another. We are to lift one another up continuously in prayer. I love listening to my children’s prayers for one another. They have the ability to hear and understand each other’s needs more deeply then we can as their parents.
We encourage them to learn to listen to that inner voice that teaches them right from wrong, the heart tugs of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Honoring their leaders is not following them blindly but listening to them and weighing their words against their understanding of Scripture and morality. (This includes mom and dad) Questioning authority can be done so in a respectful manner and is sometimes necessary. We are to hold on to our understanding of what is good and flee that which is evil.
Joy in family is best achieved when respect and love is demonstrated from and towards all family members.
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