Honor Begins at Home
Reading: Exodus 20:12
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Ephesians 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 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.”
Devotional: Of all the relationships God could have chosen to anchor His command of honor, He chose the one that begins at birth -- the relationship between a child and a parent. Exodus 20:12 makes clear that honoring one's father and mother is not a suggestion but a commandment, and one that carries with it a remarkable promise of life and blessing. This is not conditional honor. It does not say to honor your parents if they have earned it, if they have been faithful, or if they have been present. Honor, as the sermon reminds us, is given -- not earned. Respect may be earned over time, but honor flows from a heart that has been surrendered to God. Perhaps your parents were imperfect. Perhaps they failed you in significant ways. You can still honor them as the reason you have life. You can still speak of them with dignity. Honor at home is the training ground for honor everywhere else.
Personal Reflection: Is there a parent, stepparent, or guardian in your life from whom you have withheld honor? What would it look like to offer that honor today, not because they deserve it, but because God commands it?
Practical Application: Write a brief note, make a phone call, or speak a kind word to or about a parent figure in your life today. If they have passed, honor their memory by sharing something they taught you with someone who needs to hear it.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Ephesians 6:1-3
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 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.”
Devotional: Of all the relationships God could have chosen to anchor His command of honor, He chose the one that begins at birth -- the relationship between a child and a parent. Exodus 20:12 makes clear that honoring one's father and mother is not a suggestion but a commandment, and one that carries with it a remarkable promise of life and blessing. This is not conditional honor. It does not say to honor your parents if they have earned it, if they have been faithful, or if they have been present. Honor, as the sermon reminds us, is given -- not earned. Respect may be earned over time, but honor flows from a heart that has been surrendered to God. Perhaps your parents were imperfect. Perhaps they failed you in significant ways. You can still honor them as the reason you have life. You can still speak of them with dignity. Honor at home is the training ground for honor everywhere else.
Personal Reflection: Is there a parent, stepparent, or guardian in your life from whom you have withheld honor? What would it look like to offer that honor today, not because they deserve it, but because God commands it?
Practical Application: Write a brief note, make a phone call, or speak a kind word to or about a parent figure in your life today. If they have passed, honor their memory by sharing something they taught you with someone who needs to hear it.
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