Coat of Honor

Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”

These words, “Honor your father and your mother” are found nine different times in the entire Bible. In Ephesians 6:2, it says that this commandment is the first with a promise, that if you do honor your parents, your days will be prolonged. Why is this true? Believe it or not, your parents have lived a longer time than you have and have seen a lot more things than you. If you honor them, you will do what they ask. If you do what they ask, then you heed wisdom. Heeding wisdom makes you flee from youthful temptations and youthful choices. The less dumb decisions you make, the longer you will live. It’s just common sense.

God has really been pressing this on my heart, but it is a really hard commandment for me to obey because sometimes, I feel like I know more than my parents. This past week has been hard for me in the sense of honoring my parents. It’s been a long and hard struggle for me. If you asked my parents, I’m pretty sure they’d tell you I am no where near perfecting this goal, but I pray that God would help me chase after this goal.

There is a lot of focus on the mother and father of the family. They are instructed to follow after God and teach their children to do likewise. I know most of you who read this are not yet adults, and I urge you to know your part in the family. Your part is to simply honor your father and mother.

It’s easier said than done, but done it must be – Forsake All