Honour Your Father and Mother
Exodus 20:12 Honour your father and your mother. Then you will live a long time in the land.
There are several people to whom the bible commands us to pay proper honour and respect. Some of them receive this honour because of what they do, and others must be honoured because of who they are. Parents fall into the second category. Children must be taught that it is not a choice. They must honour their parents if they want God’s blessing upon their lives.
Honour is deeper than just obedience.
Honour is deep deep respect. Children are commanded to obey their parents in the Lord. When we are adults we no longer have to obey our parents but we do still have to honour them (highly esteem them). Some people have parents who do not follow the Lord. Some parents are even mean and do bad things to their children. Although it may be hard, God promises to bless those who honour their parents. Don’t answer back your parents in a nasty way, even if they are being nasty to you.
There are promises attached to honouring our parents.
We will live a long time in the land. It shall be well with us.
Not honouring your parents will stunt your spiritual and social growth.
When Jesus was 12 years old he was doing what he should be doing, studying God’s word in the temple, when his mother burst in and rebuked him for making them worry about him. (They didn’t know where he was.) Jesus went home and submitted to his parents. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature with God and man. God respects those who honour their parents. People respect those who honour their parents. People who don’t take care of their family members are looked down on in society.
If we don’t take care of our families we are worse than unbelievers.
Our parents took care of us when we were young, we should make sure they are taken care of when they get old. The church should not be taking care of old people if they have Christian children to take care of them. Some people in Jesus day were trying to get out of honouring their parents by saying that anything that may have been used to help their parents, was dedicated to the temple. Jesus disapproved of what they were doing. Give to God what belongs to God and give to your parents what should be given to them.
When you honour someone you never say anything bad about them.
Some kids say they hate their parents. Some kids call their parents bad names.
Our parents are a gift from God.
Enjoy them while you have them. Parents don’t live forever on this earth. Pray for them. You can win them to the Lord by your lifestyle. They are watching you and when they see how much you have changed, it may cause them to come to the Lord too.
Scriptures to Study: Exodus 20:12, Luke 2:41-52, Mark 7:11, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 5:16, Ephesians 6:1