In the ten commandments, God has told each one of us to “honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12) This is the fifth commandment. And so that you know that this commandment is still important for us today, let us open our Bibles to Ephesians, chapter 6, which reads, “children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:1-4) Do you believe that this commandment is true and what Paul spoke of is also true? Many, if not most people will say for certain that the words in the Bible are true and faithful. However, the following question always comes up. Are you doing what God says? Do read over again what is written in Exodus and Ephesians and see if you are honoring God in the ways you are living your life. Do this not for me, but for the Lord, our God, who saves.
The commandment given to Moses teaches us to honor our father and mother and only then will God allow us to live long upon the earth. It doesn’t say that we can just love or honor our mother or father, but both. Picking a favorite is also out of the question, for doing this makes a person dishonor one parent over another when different rules are set. Paul also mentions that obeying both of our parents is the right thing to do, for it is of God that we do this. This is the first commandment with a promise from God, that He will watch over us while we live. However, children cannot do this if any one of their parents the treating their children wrongfully. We are told that provoking a child to wrath or causing them to be angry is not of God, but of the devil. Instead, we need to raise our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Only by doing this can we lead our children in the ways that God intended. So go forth and “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Do this and God will be with you and also your children throughout your time on this earth.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that you will help us learn to love, honor, and respect our parents, even when we get older. Many times months go by without me even calling my mother up, when she is so deserving of my time. Though I am older now, I think think the world of my mother and wish she knew this also. Will you keep her safe, God? I am sorry for my time away from her. Thankfully, I am able to see her today. May this be a joyous occasion, as she is able to not only see both me and my wife, but my two beautiful daughters. You have blessed me and my wife to have such wonderful children. I have heard them both say they believe in You, Jesus, and even my youngest loves to pray over the food. Wow, this is so wonderful to see in action. And thank You for leading my wife to help my youngest daughter to pray over the food. It is a blessing to have my wife teach her how to pray. My oldest daughter is also a wonderful example of dressing modestly and reading the Bible as we read as a family. I truly believe, God, that my youngest daughter has also desired to read the Bible also because of her older sister. I am so blessed. May they always remember to honor both of their parents as we also continue to raise them under Your guidance and direction, God. I love You. Amen.
