Hi! My name is Lindsey. I want to share about, “Honoring One’s Father and Mother.” The Ten Commandments were given by God in order that we might know what is right and follow in His will for us. One of these, found in Exodus 12:20 is, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”
This command wasn’t meant just for the people of the Old Testament; God tells us to honor our parents multiple times throughout the Bible, including in Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20 and Matthew 19:19. But what does it really mean to ‘honor’ your parents?
At first, I believed that honor meant to simply obey them. As my relationship with my own parents improved and changed, I began to think differently about it. If we honor our parents, we will respect them so much that obeying will be easy. Honor means to prize, to hold dear to us, to esteem. God is commanding us to give our parents the due respect they deserve, and by doing this, we in turn obey them. We don’t just do what they say because we have to, we follow their teachings because we hold them to a high regard. This means in all situations and in all temptations, we abide by what we know to be right from the instruction of our parents.
In Matthew 15:4 Jesus tells the Scribes and Pharisees, “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother and he who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.” God wants us to only speak positively about them, which is a form of honoring them. We can see that God especially treasures this commandment for His people by looking at Ephesians 6:2 – 3, which says, “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
God promises us two amazing gifts that only He could provide us with for following this commandment. There are many ways in which God allows us to prosper because we obey our parents. According to Proverbs 13:2, “A wise son accepts his father’s discipline.” By accepting and obeying, we become wiser. An obedient child also pleases the Lord, as is said in Colossians 3:30, “Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.” Favor in the sight of the Lord is a benefit all Christians should strive to attain.
In my own experience, I’ve also found that when I truly began to honor my parents, I began to see and realize how much love they had for me. This is just one of the many blessings I’ve received by honoring my father and mother. God has all of these in mind for me and all others who abide by the instructions of this commandment.
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The author of the above article is a student at New Creations Boarding School. Located in Indiana & Ohio on 700 beautiful acres with woods, fields, horseback riding trails and a 45 acre spring-fed lake, New Creations Boarding School offers a Christian residential program for youth ages 12 – 17. Since 1969, the staff of New Creations has had the privilege of pouring their lives into young people from throughout the United States, helping them grow spiritually, emotionally, academically and in their relationships with family & friends. New Creations is committed to serving Christ and growing champions. Contact New Creations Boarding School today to learn more by calling (765) 935-2790.