TODAY'S RHEMA Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
God never advised us to honor our father and mother. It is a command, not a choice or suggestion. This order also applies not only to children who still live in their parents' homes but also to those who live independently of their parents. The Bible does say everyone will one day leave their parents and unite with their mates (Gen. 2:24), but this is not a reason for us to forget the role of a child. It does not mean that our bonds and obligations to parents no longer apply.
Once, Jesus rebuked Pharisees and scribes who claimed that as they had offered everything they had to God, they are no longer responsible for their parents (Mat. 5:3-9). Of them, God firmly said, it is useless to worship, while they ignore God's command and their teaching is based on mere human ideology. This affirms how seriously God takes His commandments to honor parents.
God is a specific God. There has to be a reason why God put this law above the other five laws concerning our relationship. Realize that when God gives a command to obey our parents, he also included His promise. Regardless of our past with our parents, God gives them authority over our lives. How we love and treat them determines how God's blessings are poured upon our lives. If we have a good relationship with our parents, we can live out our days with joy and peace. God will also fill us with gladness and health, that we may revel in a newfound joy in our family life, and this pleases God.
REFLECTION Saudara Terkasih, Attached to the law to OBEY YOUR PARENTS is the BLESSINGS OF JOY AND LONGEVITY.
APPLICATIONS 1. How have you treated your parents in the past? 2. Why does God want you to obey your parents? 3. What can you do to obey your parents?
TODAY'S PRAYER "Loving Father, forgive me if I have not been appreciative of my parents. Renew my heart and mind, Holy Spirit, that I may love and honor my parents in such a way that pleases Your heart, that I may see heaven in my family. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."
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