One of the Ten Commandments is…Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in
the land which the LORD your God gives you. - Exodus 20:12. One way to
honor parents is to be obedient to them. Paul instructed the children of
Ephesus saying…Children, obey your
parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1. I find it
interesting that God is so interested in children that He puts specific
instructions in His Word. Additionally, God wants to be honored in all our
lives. Further guidance is offered in the following verses.
Therefore the LORD
God of Israel declares, 'I did indeed say that your house and the house of your
father should walk before Me forever'; but now the LORD declares, 'Far be it
from Me--for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be
lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30
A son honors his
father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And
if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O
priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' Malachi 1:6
For God said, 'honor
your father and mother,' and, 'he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be
put to death.' Matthew 15:4
Children are always children, even as adults. We
should honor our parents, even if they are no longer with us. Honor their
memory—especially if they were Christians. Share with your children and
grandchildren stories about your ancestors that honor them. It has been said
that to know who you are you need to know where you came from—who your
ancestors are. Find out facts about your parents and grandparents. What they
did when they were growing up and what their dreams were. Discover their
spiritual heritage, too. Write the stories down and trade stories with cousins
so that you have a bigger picture of all your family.
Training
Tip – With your young children tell about times that you
were obedient or even times that you were disobedient to your parents—and the
consequences. Let them know what you expect of them, before they get into
trouble. How can they know how to behave unless they are taught/told/trained? You might use dolls—or trucks—as props in the
training. You tell the toys how to behave, and then have the toys act out the
behavior. You may want to have the child “teach” the toy how to act properly in
putting away toys, in obeying Mom and Dad, in playing nicely with siblings and
friends, or when shopping or whatever.
Lord – It is great
to be a part of the family of God. May our children see how we honor God the Father
in our thoughts, words, and actions.
All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)
unless otherwise noted.
© 2013
by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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