Devotional - October, 11, 2023
Exodus 20: 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
As we turn to the next command, let's reflect a bit about what we have covered so far. God calls for the Israelites to adhere to the laws as a response for all that God had done for them both as their Savior and as their Creator. Even in our lives, plenty of things have gone wrong or have angered us. But if you are reading this, God has still made a way for you to carry on and go forward. Hopefully, you have found ways to right the wrongs that happened, if not in your life, in the lives of others. You have taken a page from your Saviors plan and incorporate it into your way of life. That is the way of the Christian, unfortunately, many have lost sight of the saving plan of Jesus. They have instead decided to accuse and judge others which falls on the other side of our purpose. The Christian life is hard work, at times very hard, especially when it comes to self control. You have to spend some time with yourself working through a proper response. Carl Jung once said, "thinking is difficult, that is why most people judge"; he's right. In the first five commands, God helps establish a correct way to relate to God. Being clear about the truth, there is only one God, the Living God, who saved us and dwells with us. And, as this God provided and provides for you, so too, are parents to provide for their children. Interestingly, as you read the Old Testament, you find that the younger generations of their time did about as good as children in our time following this command. The difference being, in their time, there was a very real utilitarian reasoning behind it. In order to survive and thrive, a family had to work together as a team. The parents knew how to succeed even in the difficult conditions. The children needed to learn from their parents, and be ready to take over, when their parents passed away. Not to mention, there were no other ways. You either succeeded in the family trade or... Even the rich man's son in Jesus' parable ( Luke 15: 11-32), with all he had, could not make it a day when the money ran out. But even more, in that parable, the father does the honorable thing by taking the son back. Now, I know the meaning and value of "tough love". At times, it is necessary. Be that as it may, let's not miss the fact that the father does the honorable thing. It was not the popular thing to do and he had every right not to it. He does it because he understands his son and the situation. This law was not intended just for the children, but also for the parents, both mother and father. They were being instructed, or commanded, to be worthy of honor. To have a family was a high calling. It served as one's life-line. Its success depended on it being a place of honor and honor comes from love. To truly honor someone, you have to love them. Compliance can be accomplished in many ways, not so with honor. Let us always strive to be honorable, and to honor others, be it within our families, within our marriages, within our church, and elsewhere.
Pray with me..., Our Father, blessed be Your name, for You have been good to us. In Your love for us, You have never forsaken us. In this world we have tribulation, but You walk with us and get us through. Your faithfulness and mercy uphold us, and for that we are ever thankful. May Your Spirit continue its work in us, making us honorable people, Your people. We ask Your blessing on our families and loved one's. Bless them, we pray, in accordance with their needs. In Jesus Name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
