Obeying Your Parents

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***HONORING OUR MOTHER AND FATHER.... PART 2 OF 5

DAILY DEVOTIONAL THURSDAY MAY 9, 2002
(Ephesians 6:1)

Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you.

Obeying your parents. Depending on the translation you are using, there is a part of this verse that talks of obeying your parents "in the Lord". The original Greek text actually translates "for the Lord's sake". Why is it so important to the Lord that we obey our parents? As we grow up, our parents are the first authority figures we are exposed to. We learn at a very early age that our behavior is governed by others. We learn how to make choices. We learn that there are consequences for the choices we make, good and bad. Obeying our parents teaches us that we are accountable for the things that we do in this life.

Once we start school, we then realize that our actions there are governed by our teachers and the school administration. We then learn that society has laws we must follow and the police, prosecutors, and judges have been put in place to enforce those laws. The reason this is such an important issue is because while we have those in authority over us during our life here on earth, we also have God, our Creator in ultimate authority over our life. Obeying our parents is critical because if we don't learn how to obey the authority that our parents have over our life, we will never learn to obey God who has the ultimate authority over our life.

You see my friend, God loves us. Most of you have, or had a parent or parents who love you. When your parents give you rules to follow, it is not to make your life harder, but easier. It is from that love that they tell you what you can and can't do. Some things are common sense, others are from experience. You see, they know what the end results of certain decisions will be, and they are trying to keep you from making mistakes. That is what God does also. In His Word he tells us things we shouldn't do, many which are obvious and common sense. Then there are others that come from God knowing what the ultimate outcome will be. The most vivid example is God's warning not to be unequally yoked. The literal meaning of that verse in context is talking about marriage. A Christian, not being married to a non-Christian. Why? If you could come to Liveprayer some day and read some of the email, you would understand quickly. Just like parents have a reason for rules that we may not totally understand or agree with, so does God. Obedience is a way that we can protect ourselves.

Of course, God gave us all freewill. It is understandable, since otherwise we would be little more than robots. But there have been times when I wish I didn't have the ability to make choices. We usually learn at a very early age that when we make the wrong choice, there are consequences. Often we have to pay a price for disobedience. Those consequences hopefully serve as a mechanism to help us in the future make the correct choice. Punishment for disobedience is designed to help us learn that we can not disobey and get away with it.

In Hebrews 12:5,6 it tells us that God punishes those He loves. Punishment is not meant to make us mad, or to push us into further disobedience. Instead it is designed to help us understand that we are to be obedient children and there are consequences associated with disobedience. Let me say here, that many have this image of God who delights in punishing His disobedient children, and that all of the hardships we suffer must be punishment for things we did wrong. While there may be some direct consequences from sinful activity, God loves you, and is not a God of punishment, but a God of grace and mercy. Trust me, if He wanted to inflict punishment on us for our disobedience, we would never be able to live under the weight of the hardships we would have to endure. It is important for us to learn that freewill is not a license to disobey, but to obey.

I love you and care about you so much. Being obedient to our parents is something the Lord has asked us to do for His sake. It also teaches us how to obey since we need to be obedient to Him as well. For some like me, there is a rebellious nature that is obviously part of our sin nature we inherited. Never forget it was Satan's rebellion that got him thrown out of Heaven. It was the rebellion of Adam and Eve that brought sin into the human condition. So we are born with a rebellious nature, a tendency to disobey. That is all the more reason why we must be aware of how important our obedience is. If for no other reason, than to avoid the consequences of our disobedience. Ultimately though, we obey out of love.

Our parents love us enough to give us rules to follow to help us in our life. We need to understand that, and obey out of love for them. God loves us enough to gives rules to follow to help us in our life. We need to understand that, and obey out of love. I pray today that you will see how important obedience is, and that out of love, you will obey your parents, out of love, you will obey God.

As part of this special series, I am happy to offer to you an incredible book, "Choosing A Nursing Home And Living With Your Choice". I know the author personally and it is a resource I am proud to be able to offer to you. Mary is an RN with an extensive background in the nursing home industry. It is THE BEST Christian book ever on dealing with this subject that is rarely addressed. It is practical, hard hitting, and walks you through the process step-by-step. Because it is not in print, the publisher charged us $5 per book. I have prayed about this and am led to charge you NOTHING, because I feel it is that important for you to have it. I would ask however that you pray and give a gift to Liveprayer if the Lord leads you to. For those who can't give, that is no problem, just ask for the book and I will send it to you, no charge, I will pay the postage. For those who can give, give what you are able to offset our costs of getting this book to those who can't give. To get your book, simply email me at bkeller@liveprayer.com and request it. Please include your address so I can send it to you. To give a gift on your major credit card, you can go to our website, www.liveprayer.com and click on the "Donation" button. Or, you can mail your gift to:

Liveprayer
6660 46th Avenue North
St. Petersburg, Florida 33709

***HOWEVER YOU GIVE, YOU STILL NEED TO EMAIL ME AT bkeller@liveprayer.com with your name and address that I can send you the book.

I rarely endorse resources, but for this week, for this topic, it is the ONLY comprehensive book I have found from a Christian perspective that handles this delicate issue with real-life direction in a no-nonsense way.

***I realize that many have not had the type of relationship with your parents God intended. for many, this week will bring up many bad memories. It is not an accident. For some, God wants to help you get them behind you once and for all. For some, you may need to deal with these issues in an ongoing counseling situation. I personally know the folks at www.barnabus.com. They do a great job. In the past, I have led many to their Christian Counseling services and have received nothing but good reports about them.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now available via audio each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html. Click on "Search by Category", then locate DAILY DEVOTIONAL. I want to thank Ed Morando for making this service available for FREE to Liveprayer.com.

This message is "Honoring Your Mother and Father Part Two.

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