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Tip #4 “Honor Your Father and Mother”
Welcome to week 4.
I hope you are trying to apply these “tips” to your daily life and are finding them to be beneficial. Remember the goal is to live life well.
Like the previous two tips, the tip for this week also comes from the Ten Commandments.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12 (ESV)
Simple.
Easy to understand.
But remember, it is a command from the God of the universe. And this command was very important to God.
Not only did it bring a great blessing:
“… that your days me be long in the land.”
But it also brought a rather severe punishment to those who chose to ignore the commandment.
“Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.“ Exodus 21:17 (ESV)
How would that go over today?
Think of the schools in our country that actively try to get children to ignore or circumvent or dishonor their parents because the parents aren’t sufficiently “woke.”
The message in those schools is probably a little different than God’s message.
But the problems with our schools is for another day.
Today bring the focus back to you.
FOCUS ON YOU
Do you honor your parents?
Think about it.
In the last week what have you done to honor your parents? In the last month?
If you are having difficulty coming up with specifics, this should be a good week for you.
You know God wants you to honor you mother and father, so make an effort to do just that.
APPLY THIS TEACHING
Take some specific actions to honor your parents each day for the next week.
Choose — it is a choice — to honor your father and mother.
You can do that in many ways.
Pray for them each day this week.
If you have time, write them a note this week. If you don’t have time to write a note, make time. It might be a text message or an email or even a handwritten note. They’re probably old enough to recognize what a handwritten note is.
Here’s another idea. Set aside a few minutes one day this week and call them on the phone. Ask how they are doing.
Just doing those things will move you along the road of honoring your parents.
Then ask the Lord to show you more ways you can honor your parents.
I hope this will be a fun week for you as you live out this “tip” God has given you for living life well.
Before I go I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.
“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)
Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today!
Tip 4 “Honor Your Parents”