A Commandment With A Promise

A Commandment With A Promise

Children, obey your parents,  for this is right. "You must honor your  father and mother"--this is the first commandment, with a promise to make it good-- "so that you may prosper and live a long life on earth."  Ephesians 6:1-3

Good morning, this may seem like an odd scripture to wake up to in the morning, but it is a scripture that has laid heavy on my heart today. As we know, to honor our parents is commanded, it is the 5th commandment. One of the things that has always puzzled me about this scripture is why is this the first commandment with a promise? Then it hit me this morning during a conversation with my dad. 

A little over a year ago  I moved out and my dad helped me get on my feet. He helped me by giving me furniture so I would have some.  Over this time period, I have been in the process of slowly replacing the old furniture he gave me, he laughed as we talked and told me he thinks that I have now sold old his old furniture, and as we talked he said "you are starting to see what it takes to live on your own, and how much it really costs." The question you are asking is how does this conversation make sense with this scripture? I will try to explain the best I can. For so long we take everything for granted that our parents do for us, we assume there should be food in the fridge, working electricity, clothes on our backs, etc....  I finally see all my dad had sacrificed to raise 4 kids.  To help pay for college, to always make sure that our bellies are full and there is a roof over our head.  Things growing up that I just always expected to be there.

Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to The Lord." By honoring our parents we honor God. I can't help but think about how our parents must feel when they spend so much time and energy to provide for us growing up and not once do we thank them, and many of us forget birthdays, or just forget to call them every now and then. It makes me sad when I think of this. It makes me wonder, is this what the Lord feels like when He has sacrificed so much for us as sinners and we never take time out of our busy day to talk to Him, to read His word? 

If you are a teenager or a kid still living under your parents roof, honor them. Show them love and thank them for everything they have done for you because I don't believe we ever will truly understand what they have sacrificed for us. If you are an adult, still remember your parents still honor them by calling them, and spending time with them. I cant help but believe the reason this command is so important to God, is because if we can't appreciate the love and sacrifice shown to us by our parents, how can we understand the love God gave for us on the Cross.

Let us Pray. Dear Father, Lord you are the greatest parent there is, God help us show our earthly parents the honor in which they deserve.  Grant us the time to call them, grant us the wisdom to gain a relationship with them, and let us do it with You in mind father that we may honor You by honoring them. 

David Wiggins
Youth Pastor
www.nbcornerstone.com