Serving the Lord

Col. 3:18-25 (ESV)
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. [20] Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. [21] Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. [22] Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. [23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. [25] For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” In this day and age I would think that it is lack of discipline that most often characterizes the problems between parents and children. Parents almost bend over backwards not to provoke their children. Too many parents are afraid of alienating their children if they ground them, or follow through on any punishment. Yet, there are still those, and most often in “Christian” homes where the parents are way to severe in the disciplining of children, or with the house rules. It won’t kill your child to go see a movie. Teenagers date. Let it be. Council them on appropriate and inappropriate behavior, give them a curfew and then let it be. Parents have to be parents first, you won’t ever be your child’s “friend.” You will always be more than that. But there isn’t really any reason you can’t befriend them too.
You are serving the Lord Christ. This you do as a wife submitting to your husband, as a husband loving your wife, children obeying parents, and parents parenting children, employers supervising employees, and employees working for their employers. In all these things we serve Christ. That is you don’t have to be mowing the church lawn to be serving Christ. But in everything you do in accordance with the 10 commandments you do as serving Christ when you are a Christian. It is no longer for you but for Christ. Remember that. It is Christ you are serving, not you yourself. And you will receive your reward from h