Devotion for July 21, 2008

Obey Your Parents

“My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; For they [will be] a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.” (Proverbs 1:8-9 NKJV)

Solomon accurately describes the Lord’s opinion of children who obey the fifth commandment. They will be honored with grace before God and men. The metaphors paint the picture of one rich with adornments. It seems logical that there is a connection between the adornments Solomon mentions and the promise found in the commandment. Here are the relevant passages.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 NKJV)

“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:20 NKJV)

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3 NKJV)

Why is there such a great emphasis placed on obedience to parents? Well this commandment is part of the moral law. The first four commandments deal with our relationship God, and the second six deal with our treatment of each other. Jesus summed up all ten.

“Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments [is]: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This [is] the first commandment. "And the second, like [it, is] this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."” (Mark 12:29-31 NKJV)

It seems that if one cannot obey his own parents who love him and desire only his best, it will be impossible for him to obey God. In addition, if one cannot love his parents who cared for and comforted him for many years how will he ever love God whom he cannot even see? Remember God made a connection between love and obedience.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 NKJV)

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest
Myself to him.” (John 14:21 NKJV)

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10 NKJV)

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2 NKJV)

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV)

“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” (2 John 1:6 NKJV)

You see then this is a foundational truth. If one cannot lovingly obey his own parents what hope does he have of loving any authority, any enemy, and yes even God? They have no chance without the intervention of God. Therefore, one can see the results of such waywardness, “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (2 Timothy 3:2 NKJV).

Here are two applications to consider: One, be careful to attend to your parental duties with prayerful dependence upon God; Two, repent of any rebellion you have been a part of in the past. It is never too late to receive the grace of God. There may be consequences due to past failures, but the future can still hold blessings.

I was a rebellious child, and so I speak from experience as I share this personal testimony. My relationship with my mother was bitter and resentful. That caused me a great deal of trouble which shaped my life into something I wouldn’t wish on my enemy. Thankfully, God in His great mercy saved me from my sin latter in life.

After a short walk with the Lord, He began to remind me of my broken relationship with mom. The graces of God lead me to honor my mother. Unfortunately, my father had already passed.

I tell you she became a completely different person as the love of God washed over her and me. The strain of our broken relationship was no longer affecting our behavior, and a total new dynamic took over. That may have been the greatest demonstration of God’s grace I have ever seen.

Therefore, I encourage you, if you have broken or strained relationships with your parents learn to honor them. They may not change as my mom did, but God will see from heaven and I am sure He will pour out a blessing on you such as you cannot imagine.