Memorise:
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 20:12
Read: Ephesians 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Message
Our God is a God of reward and an excellent motivator. He gives a law, and specifies the reward that will follow if we keep it (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). In like manner, He also indicates the punishment attached to breaking any of his laws (Genesis 2:16-17). In our Bible reading, we read about the first commandment with a promise. Apostle Paul got the inspiration on this truth from Exodus 20:12. It is unfortunate that this law of life is not being heeded by the young folks of today. This is the reason why life expectancy is reducing. The story was told of a young boy in a very remote part of Africa, who respected and honoured his parents to the extent that their wish was law in his life. One of the rules his parents gave him was that he should not eat anything that did not come from them. “What if I was given something to eat outside, what should I do with it?” he asked his parents. They said, “Bring it home before you eat it.” One day, this boy went out with his friends to a neighbouring village where they were given food packages. They had scarcely stepped out of this village when all other boys started eating their food, which unknown to them had been poisoned. Only this boy remembered the instructions of his parents and refused to even open his pack. All the other boys died as soon as they got back to their village, and he alone survived the attack. To a young man or woman reading this devotional, I advise that you take this commandment which has longevity as its reward very seriously.
Besides, there are two categories of parents: biological and spiritual. Parents of both categories should be honoured (Malachi 1:6). A believer must exhibit this trait so that unbelieving parents will know that the best life to live is the Christian life. God watches over His words to honour them. If you honour God by obeying this injunction, He will keep you from evil. The problem with present day youths is that they think they know more than older people do; hence, they disregard their instructions, particularly those of their parents, to their own peril. Such youths can’t seem to learn from the story of the rebellious Absalom, who met a premature death at the prime of his life (2 Samuel 18:9-15). He was so unruly that he temporarily deposed his own father. Many youths in Church today scheme to get their pastor out of the way so that they can be in charge. May God salvage this generation from the spirit of rebellion in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer point:
Father, grant me grace to keep the first commandment with promise, even when it’s not convenient to do so, in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 KINGS 12:16-13:34 and LUKE 4:14-37
AUTHOR : Pastor E.A. ADEBOYE
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