Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
‘Honor your father and mother’
—which is the first commandment with a promise—
so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
Ephesians 6:1-3
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians quotes the fifth commandment. Originally recorded in Exodus 20:12 and etched on tablets given to Moses hundreds of years before Paul’s day, it continues to bring timeless truth to a modern-day audience many years later.
Paul makes his case for choosing to honor parents, giving two specific reasons:
- It is right to do so.
- It comes with a promise.
Doing What Is Right
For the follower of God, doing what is right is not up for a vote. We don’t weigh the options and reach a consensus after collaboration and discussion.
Choosing to do what is right is a daily act of conscious obedience. It acknowledges God’s authority in our lives. We choose to obey Him because He is our Savior and our Lord.
How do you know what is right? You seek and search the Scriptures. You cannot do what is right until you know what is right. Abiding in His Word daily keeps us immersed in the truth and knowing the path God has laid out for us.
Obedience Brings Blessing
I believe God always blesses us when we obey Him. The blessing may be the peace and joy that comes from abiding in Him – the contentment that resonates in our spirit by fulfilling our call to bring Him glory. There is a deep sense of satisfaction that comes when I’m walking in the Spirit. Nothing else in this world brings that sense of peace and joy.
But the blessing for this particular commandment is specific … we get a so that.
I love finding a so that in Scripture. I love it when God provides a specific why for the what He calls us to do.
The promise here is this: life will go well and we will get long life. I’m not sure exactly how that all plays out in my specific circumstance or yours, but I do know that I don’t want to miss any blessing that God offers.
Choosing to Honor
When it comes to our relationship with our parents, Paul makes it clear that honor should lead out. Here are a few questions to consider as you do your own honor-your-father assessment:
- Do I listen patiently – even to stories I’ve heard before?
- Do I make calling my parents a regular (weekly?) priority?
- Do I speak kindly about them to my children?
- Do I make decisions about their care based on what is best for them … even if it’s inconvenient for me?
- Do I spend my greatest resource for them: my time? (And do I choose to eliminate distractions – like my phone – when I’m with them?)
- Do I acknowledge the values or skills learned from them?
- Have I thanked them for teaching me to ride a bike, cook, fish, or work hard?
- Have I chosen to forgive (and let go of) things they may have done wrong?
- Have a chosen to be grateful for what they did right?
- Do I pray for my parents?
I hope this list convicts you as it does me. It offers yet another opportunity to receive God’s grace and forgiveness for our past faults and failings. It is also a chance for the Holy Spirit to spur us on to walk in obedience, in our present and our future.
Today is Father’s Day. What a great time to begin to choose honor – to hear and obey Paul’s Ephesians 6 challenge. Perhaps the best way to honor our heavenly Father today is to honor the earthly father He gave us.
How will YOU choose to honor your father today?
This month, our Write the WORD focus has been the word HONOR. We’ve already been reminded of how we release honor to God and others. But in this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura shares thoughts on how God honors us, as well! Listen to her message now to hear more:
Would you like to join us for the remaining days of our study on honor? Visit our Downloads page today for your free Write the WORD bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. study pages!
