DEVOTION - Day 14

Ephesians 6:2-3 (New International Version)

2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

The word honor has the following 2 words in its definition: admiration and respect. So, here we see Paul quoting one of the Ten Commandments that tells us to “honor our father and mother.” Throughout the beginning of the sixth chapter of Ephesians, he takes us through the idea of respecting and honoring others and beginning with our father and mother.

Not that we needed a reason, but Paul then goes on to tell us the ‘why’ behind his instruction. Ultimately he says that we do this so that it “may go well with” us and so that we “may enjoy a long life on the earth.” And this is the promise to being obedient to God’s command.

Now, for some of you, the thought of honoring your parent(s) may seem like a far-fetched idea. It may make you sick to your stomach and there are many others in your life that you would rather honor than him/her. Let me just say that this Scripture still applies to you. But I think it brings us to a tipping point in our discussion of this verse.

What does it mean to really honor your father and mother? Does it mean that you accept whatever behavior they exhibit and comply with whatever destructive thing they ask you to do? Does it mean that you condone their sinful behavior? Does it mean that you put up with their verbal/physical abuse? The obvious answer to these questions is an emphatic “no.”

So what does it mean to honor your father and mother? I feel that for some of us, honoring them simply means that you pray for them, you love them as Christ loves them, and do your best to find some good memories to hold on to. For others, honoring them is showing them, in tangible ways, that you admire and respect them.

For me, this has been an area of focus over the last few years. As I went through college I grew apart from my parents. Now that I am older and have kids of my own, I find that I long for time with my parents. I am trying to do a better job of reaching out to them and deepening my relationship with them.

So, pray that God will help you understand how this Scripture applies to your family situation. Ask Him to give you tangible ways to honor your parent(s). Finally, pray that your relationship with your parent(s) would be one that honors not only them but also God.