OUR DAILY BREAD

Thursday, September 15, 1994

READ: Ephesians 6:1-4

"HONOR YOUR PARENTS"

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land."

Exodus 20:12

It was a sad, unsigned letter from an elderly mother.

"I have an only son," she wrote, "who does all sorts of things for other people

but hates to do anything for me. He rarely visits me although I live only 8

minutes away. He seldom even phones."

God puts a high priority on family relationships throughout life -

- so says the fifth commandment. On the surface it seems directed

exclusively to children, but parents must set the example.

Children learn to honor, respect, obey their parents when they see

Mom and Dad honoring one another, when they feel respected,

affirmed, and loved by their parents, and when they observe their

obedience to God. This commandment to children actually

touches us all.

How many of us have been as thoughtful of our parents as we could

have been? And who of us as parents have been to our children all

that we should have been? Although we've broken this commandment,

our guilt has been removed by Jesus' death on the cross. He gives

the courage to ask forgiveness of our children and our parents.

And if they are not living, we can show the sincerity of our

repentance by strengthening ur other family relationships.

We honor our Father when we honor our parents.

- Dennis J. DeHaan

Children who honor their parents

Are doing what's good in God's sight;

Parents who love and admonish

Are teaching to do what is right.

- Sper

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

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Honoring our parents is learned by example.