Parent & Children Relationships Aren't One Sided!

Wednesday's Devotion (3-10-04)

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:1-4 (KJV)

"...Honour thy father and mother..." that is what my mother always used against me. It is a good thing to honour your mother and father. We are commanded to do so and there is a promise that comes with it and that is, "...That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth...." So, if you're living under your parent's roof, then you are commanded by the Lord, to honor and obey your parents. We are supposed to obey our parents and do as they tell us to do. We our to give them honor and we are not supposed to rebel and go against our parents. This isn't the first commandment, but it is the first one to have a promise come with it. There are ten commandments, not all of them have promises, but this is the first of those very few commandments to have a promise for those who obey. That tells me, that this is a very important commandment. Don't give up on reading kids, it will get better for you in a minute. Something was just brought to my attention and by faith, I will believe it is from the Lord. Here it is: This commandment promises life for those who obey it. Our parents bring us into this world. So, we are showing our appreciation not only for our parents when we honor them, but also our appreciation for life. If we appreciate our life, then God, wants to give us more life because we appreciate it. That is my understanding.

Now do you remember when I said, "Don't give up on reading kids, it will get better for you in a minute." here is where it picks up for you. If you're anything like me, your parents will use these scriptures against you, but out of context. Notice the part of these scriptures where it says, "...And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." This isn't a one sided deal. Let me firstly say that there is no reason at all to dishonor your parents, but your parents also need to obey the scriptures. These scriptures are pretty much telling parents, to raise their children in the ways of the Lord. You're not supposed to provoke your children to anger and then when they get angry, say, "Honour thy father and thy mother!" No, you're supposed to bring them up in the way of the Lord and if you're doing that, you are not provoking them to wrath. If you're being cruel to your children, you are provoking them to wrath and you are kind of promoting them to dishonor you. Because if you constantly yell at your children, for no reason then what do you expect them to do? If you correct your children in a godly manner, then they have no reason to dishonor you. If you want your children to obey this commandment, then you must also do your part and raise them up in the way of the Lord and do not provoke them to wrath.

Children are to obey their parents, but I strongly believe that there are some exceptions. If your parents say, "Do not follow the Lord or read your Bible!" I strongly believe that, that is one of those times where you must disobey your parents. However, do not treat them badly over it.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins and we forgive those who've wronged us. Help children to honor their parents and help parents not to provoke their children to wrath. Bring us all together in unity and bring us close to you. In Jesus, name. A-men!

God bless!

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