“Honor your father and your
mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be
prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you.”
Deuteronomy 5:16 nasb
This past Sunday, my husband, his siblings,
and their families gathered together at the
church of their upbringing to honor their parents. Most of them no longer attend this church, but as their
dad encouraged them to gather on the first anniversary of their mother’s
passing, they honored him (and her) on the first anniversary of his passing to his heavenly home.Honor your father and mother is the fifth of the ten commandments sandwiched between the first four aimed at our relationship with God and the next five concerned with our relationship with society. It is the only command with a promise. But it is not the last word concerning the relationship between children’s honor, respect, and obedience toward their parents.
Is the commandment to honor our father and mother something for days gone by? Is it only meant for children living under the roofs of their parents or is does it mean forever?Here are few ways God instructs us to honor, respect, and obey our parents:
- “Listen to your father, who gave you life...do not forget your mother when she is old.”
Proverbs 23:22 ncv
- “My child, listen to your father's teaching...do not
forget your mother's advice.” Proverbs 1:8 ncv
- “Sensible children bring joy to
their father; foolish children despise their mother.” Proverbs 15:20 nlt
- "If you make fun of your father and refuse to obey your
mother, the birds of the valley will peck out your eyes, and the vultures will
eat them.” Proverbs 30:17 ncv
- “Children, obey your parents because
you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. ‘Honor your father and mother.’ This is the
first commandment with a promise: If you honor
your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long
life on the earth.’” Ephesians 6:1-2 nlt
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| Me and my Mom |
More references:
- Exodus 20:12; 21:17
- Leviticus 19:3; 20:9
- Deuteronomy 4:40; 27:16
- Proverbs 20:20; 31:28
- Matthew 15:4; 19:19
- Mark 7:10; 10:19
- Luke 18:20
- Colossians 3:20
I'd love to hear some of the ways you honor, respect, and obey your parents.
(Next week, I’ll share God’s word about raising children of
honor, respect, and obedience.)
My progress this week in straining toward a life
in proper order:
- Completed work on 2nd devotional story for
“The Benefit Package” book to release September 24th
- Walked 11 miles and joined my friend Lee Warren for a “100-mile
challenge” at endomondo
- Unfortunately, my office clutter is still lined up in
my kitchen
- Praise the Lord, lost 3.8 pounds and 2.5 inches!!
I appreciate you writing this post. I'm not a father, but I am an uncle who has stepped into the void for one of my nieces who grew up without a father around. This has made me sensitive when I hear somebody criticizing his or her father. Criticism kills a man's spirit.
ReplyDeleteMy dad has been gone for 12 years, but I still think about the life lessons he taught me (wrote a post about that recently called Dad's Six Rules). That led to some wonderful reminiscing between my siblings and me.
And I have a card hanging on my office wall that Dad sent me many years ago. It says, "Separately, we are as fragile as reeds and as easily broken. But together, we are as strong as reeds tied in a bundle." Death has separated us, but our love for one another keeps us together.
You took on a heavy duty in filling the shoes of your fatherless niece...well done. Thanks for sharing your Dad's rules. My dad passed 11 years ago. One rule I remember of his would be, "You aren't better than anyone else, and no one is better than you." I have a piece about my last days with him in the upcoming devotional book, "The Benefit Package." (release date Sept 23)
DeleteGod bless