As the generations pass, children are getting more and more out of control. Parents don’t want to do the hard work of parenting their children when they are young, so they end up with rebellious teenagers. Then they wonder where they have gone wrong. Paul lays it out clearly. You need to have a house under control. If the home is in disorder, the community suffers. If the community is suffering, the country follows suit.
1 TIMOTHY 3:4-5
“He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),”
Parent with Dignity
This passage is directed toward elders. An elder needs to have his house in order. He needs to keep his kids under control with dignity. That means the children respect and obey their parents instead of fearing and despising them. Elders are church leaders and set the tone and example for the church. If an elder can’t lead his home, he is incapable of leading the church. This goes for pastors as well. Many pastors are great preachers or leaders, but their home is out of control.
A House Under Control
The world needs to see families that are in order. They need examples of what a loving, caring home looks like. It can be a great witnessing tool as people reach out for help with their children. When we tell people our children do chores around the house, the next question is, “How do you get them to do that?” Parenting is hard work, and you need to do it early when the child is young and maintain it through their impressionable years. A child that is undisciplined and left to do what she wants will turn into an adult that looks for other adults to take care of them.