Our success in matters of this life will always depend on whether or not we will completely submit our will to the will of God, and this is especially true when we consider God’s plan for the family. God has given all members of the family specific instructions on what their part is to play. What we must all realize is that for the plan to work we must all do our individual parts. It is when any one member of a family consistently rebels against doing their part, that we see many of the unfortunate situations that arise causing problems in the home. God’s plan works, but the important question we must always ask is whether or not we are all willing do our part to make it work?
The Holy Spirit did not take up pages of the New Testament going into specific detail about every little problem that will come up in a family. God gave us a set of definitive principles that will always guide us in the right direction if each member of the family dedicates himself to submitting to God’s plan for our family instead of how Oprah, Dr. Phil, or the latest self-help book says we should do it. It’s very simple. If each member of the family obeys God’s will, we put out trust in Him, and pray for His blessings our family will grow and become stronger in the Lord. Again, the key to our success depends on each member doing their part.
1. Husbands. The word husband comes from the words “house band”, which means they are supposed to be the band that holds the family together. God has made the husband the spiritual leader of the family and he has great responsibility. God makes it clear that this responsibility is not to be abused in a ruling capacity but out of love and compassion. Husbands are to be “head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph. 5:23), and they are to “love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church” (Eph. 5:25). That is a great deal of love. They are not to be “bitter” against their wives (Col. 19), and are to “give honor to the wife as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Pet. 3:7). Husbands are also to be godly fathers that are charged to “provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).
2. Wives. If the husband is the band that holds the family together, I think it is safe to say that most of the time it is the wife that holds the husband together. A godly wife and mother can be one of the most influential parts of a family. Wives are told to “submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). This submission is out of respect for God, and it should mean for a happy and joyful life to the woman who is married to a sincere godly man who cares for his wife like Christ cares for the church. The wife and mother is to raise the children in a way that teaches them how to carry on this tradition of caring for their family and serving God (Titus 2:3-5).
3. Children. God’s plan for children is very simple. Always obey your parents! When the parents are fulfilling their part of God’s will, then the children will always be exactly where God wants them by simply obeying mom and dad. Paul said, “children, obey you parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Eph. 6:1).
God’s plan for the family is not long, complicated, and overly demanding. It is simple and to the point. The key to it’s success depends on the submission of all the family members to following it. When followed, it may not always run like a well oiled machine, but you can rest assured it has the blessings of God upon it. -Ed
