Who's In Charge Here? A Series on Authority
Monday, February 2, 2004
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My Prayer Today
Dear Lord, I worship and honor you this day. I thank you for the gift of life that you have given me. I ask that you would help me to honor my parents in the way that you want. I realize that not everything they have done has been completely honorable, but nevertheless, I still want to follow your commandments. Help me to live in such a way that brings my parents honor -- despite whether or not they deserve it. I want to honor them because I ultimately want to honor you. Give me the grace to forgive where forgiveness is needed, and give me the strength to speak only out of your love, kindness, and gentleness. Thank you that you can give me the ability to do this through Jesus Christ. I pray this all in his name. Amen.
Bible Verses
Ephesians 6:1-4
"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 of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, 'you will live a long life, full of blessing.' And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord."
Reflecting on God's Word
According to verse 2, what are children commanded to do?
What Old Testament passage is Paul basing his exhortation upon?
Why does God attach a promise to those who keep this commandment? Does this say anything about the importance of this command?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
If a person dies young, does it mean that they did not keep this commandment? What is your answer? (p.s. -- there is not an easy answer to this question).
If you have, and are continuing to honor your parents, can you claim this promise? How so?
What does honoring your parents mean?
Understanding God's Purpose for Us
Can you expect your children to honor you (if you have children), if you have not honored your own parents?
What things do you say about your parents in front of your children? Do you think this fosters certain attitudes that are contrary to this commandment of honoring parents?
Is not honoring our parents an option, if we are to live as God would have us?
Applying God's Word to Our Purpose
Make a list of 10 things you could do or say to honor your parents? What are two of them you could do this week?
Thoughts
Paul makes it very clear in Ephesians 5:2 that children are to "honor their father and their mother." Why -- because children belong to the Lord and he says that it is the right thing to do. So if God commands us to honor our parents, we do not even have an option if we want to call ourselves a Christian. I realize that for some of us this is a very difficult issue. But we are still told to do so. Honoring one's parents is something that is a life long commandment. We do not stop honoring them, even after they are gone. Now for some of our parents, we do not have hardly anything nice to say about them. It is sort of like coming up with a nice eulogy for the funeral of a bad person. We just cannot think of anything positive to say. If you are in that "boat", sometimes saying nothing at all is honoring them. Fortunately, most all of us can think of at least one thing that was positive about our parent(s). And this is one way we can honor them.
We can not only honor our parents through both our words (as mentioned above), but also through our actions. We can visit them if they are in the nursing home or need special care. We can call them on the phone and ask about their day, we can send them a card or flowers, and there are countless other things we could do. Our parents have made some type of sacrifices for us growing up, and we may be later called to make similar sacrifices for them as they get older. Honoring our parents is something that honors God. Therefore, let us reflect upon the things we have said, done, and thought of about our parents. This may or may not be easy, but it is still necessary. And when we make a commitment to honor our parents, God gives us the strength and grace to do so.