Book of Colossians | Colossians 3:20-21 | 4.6.25

Series: Book of Colossians

Speaker: Shelley Melvin

April 6, 2025

Colossians 3:20-21'>Colossians 3:20-21

Shelley Melvin

ProvKids Director

Follow Along with the Message

Col 3:20-21

: 20 Children obey your parents

: 21 Father's do not provoke your children

There is so much in these two verses .

Shelly and Jim did a wonderful job to provoke our thoughts of both roles as someone's child and parenting well with God's help.

In his letters, Paul frequently asks us to assess our behaviors and take responsibility or (respond-ability).

We can account for our shortcomings without being paralyzed by them. With our hearts, faces, and feet turned toward God for help, we can model for our families that we are not perfect but submitted to a perfect God.

1) The fine line of parenting or tight rope balance. Do any of the examples resonate for you?

Firmness vs harshness

Grace vs pushover

Trust vs naive

Parent vs friends

Rescuer vs allowed failure

2) We want to raise our kids to be:

Independently dependent on God
To choose and orient their lives around God and willingly submit to His authority and direction.

These are excellent goals and excellent questions to ask ourselves. Are we?

3) Are there areas of modeling God's authority and submission in your life you need to bring before Him? What is one that you need help with?

4) What about choice?

Shelly's example of the purple camp shirt and one child's refusal to wear it (with parental consent). Do we encourage following feelings and changing desires or authority?

Ultimately, God's authority is over our lives.

Eph 6:1-3

Honor your Father and Mother, which is the first commandment.

What if your parents were ill-equipped, negligent or cruel? Does God still expect us to wear the purple shirt?

5) Does God get to tell me what to do even when someone else is wrong?

Col 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children

Luke 6:45

Out of the mouth, the heart speaks

5) Silently for a moment.

Take an account of what you say.

Words you're speaking about your parents, your children.

Do they reflect God's authority and your submission?

God is not repelled by our honest emotions; in fact, He welcomes them. He knows it is the invitation place for His help.

6) Gratitude:

In the past year, what is one thing God has helped you do better as a parent or child?

Prayer

Father, thank you for helping us grow, mature, and lead. Following after You. Modeling Your heart through our imperfect one turned toward You.