A WORD FOR TODAY, August 22, 2022
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, August 22, 2022
“For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21, WEB
My husband and I have recently realized that we are the elder generation of our family. We do have two aunts and an uncle, but our parents have all passed. It seems impossible to believe, but my husband turns sixty-five in just a few days. I sometimes think I am still just a kid. It is not true, of course. Our children are older than I want to think I am!
Being the elder generation doesn’t have the clout that it used to have. In our society, we teach our children to be independent, to go make a name for themselves, to start their own family. It is certainly what we did when we got married. We loved our parents and listened to their advice, of course, but we did what we thought was right for our family. We have advice for our children, but we expect them to make their own choices. We hope that they respect our wisdom and love us, but we give them the freedom to be independent, praying that we have given them everything they need for good decision making.
Families were different in different eras of history. For much of the ancient world, the family was a patriarchal society; the male head of the household was the head over all his family including his wife, sons of any age, grandchildren, widowed mother. He was father of all, and his word ruled. They stayed together. The sons served the father. Everything the family owned was the father’s until he passed, then it was given in due portion to each of the sons. The daughters were little more than property and belonged to her father or her husband’s father. We don’t understand so many of the references to those ancient families because of the way we see the world, so it makes it harder for us to understand the scriptures that refer to God in this way.
Paul says that every family in heaven and on earth is named for the Father of Jesus Christ. He is the elder generation; He is the head of every household. Sadly, many do not recognize or acknowledge this truth. They want to be independent, as we are independent of our mothers and fathers once we are old enough to live on our own. We don’t want someone who has rules which we must obey. We don’t want someone keeping what we deserve. We want to own our stuff and go our own way. Our Father gives us room to be who we want to be; He does not suppress our will. But He calls us to live according to His Word to experience His grace fully.
We think that we are happiest when we are doing our own thing, following our own heart. Yet, the reality is that joy and peace come when we are living the blessed life promised by our Father. He is able to do far more for us than we can ever expect. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all e ask or think, and He is always faithful to His promises. The heads of our households, whether in ancient days or today, change regularly as we die and pass the responsibilities on to the next generation, God never dies. He is the eternal head of our household, the eternal Father of all. Let us live accordingly, praising Him in thanksgiving and trust for His love that is passed on to those who dwell with us in this world.
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