Shelbyville Times-Gazette

Honor thy Father and Mother

Posted Sunday, January 13, 2008, at 8:25 AM
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Ex 20-12 says to "honor your father and mother so that your life will be long upon the land".

God established parents as the authority figures in the family unit.

Child re often get their first impressions about God and the bible from their parents.

Parents who walk in the spirit are to be examples and role models for their children for the children will copy,do and say whatever they see their parents do.

The children who want to please God will obey and honor their parents no matter what the peer pressure is from the world.

When children become adults the need to take care of their parents also not stick them off in some home somewhere and not remember them anymore .

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devan,your post was excellent!

The sermon in that link hit the issues beautifully.

We honor others best by honoring God and respecting ourselves and those around us.

Whether we deal with those "above" us or those "under" us,we are obligated to respect them,affirm their best selves and honor them enough to continue to act responsibly and lovingly even when it would be easier and more comfortable to do otherwise and blame them for the consequences.

Even our machines and our livestock prove how smart they are by not letting their masters force them into a foolish or destructive act.

We show love to our family,our country,our workplace,our peer group or any other group that is important to us when we focus on its needs rather than its wants,when we say "no" to evil as well as "yes" to good and when we conduct ourselves in a way that makes us feel brave,proud and joyous instead of afraid,ashamed and miserable.

If we're going to get into trouble,let it be for being uncomfortably wise instead of foolish,for loving "too much" rather than not enough,for our courage instead of our cowardice.

No one can please everyone 100% of the time.

We have to choose what matters to us and live with our choices-even when those who set the rules for us aren't perfect.

After all,the very defective Polonius managed to give some good advice to his son,Laertes in "Hamlet".

Part of that advice went like this:

"This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man."

-- Posted by quantumcat on Sun, Jan 20, 2008, at 3:04 PM

This Comment is dedicated to Mr. Howard Bruster, my 8th grade Religious Education teacher, in 1963. That was when America was America. God Bless you Mr. Bruster for

making me think. It only took me 30 years later to see the light. You were the spark!

-- Posted by framestraight on Sat, Jan 19, 2008, at 9:30 PM

darrick the bible was written by human's but the word was recieved by God. Everything in the bible came from God. It seams to me you have issues about the bible. Alot of people try to reject God and his teachings, but one day all people will bow to God. No matter what belief or religion.Maybe you should try reading it and see what good things God has in store.Think about the people that wrote history books.Do you believe those.I'm sure the writers are not the one's actually involved.Something to think about.

-- Posted by christiangirl on Wed, Jan 16, 2008, at 1:43 PM

Sorry that should be Ephesians not Galatians.

-- Posted by EastSideMom on Wed, Jan 16, 2008, at 12:23 AM

Galatians Chapter 6 goes on to say "in the Lord, for this is right" which I have been taught means that if the Lord agrees with what you are told to do by your parents then you should obey if not follow what God had commanded. For example, if my father tells me to kill someone but God says "thou shall not kill" then I should not OBEY my father.

-- Posted by EastSideMom on Tue, Jan 15, 2008, at 12:10 AM

devan, that's a very good link I like that explanation as well!

-- Posted by Disgusted on Mon, Jan 14, 2008, at 2:51 PM

An "address" that works for me is (Luke 6:27,36) Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful". Beyond that I guess you just keep a safe distance or let the legal system take over.

I also like this explanation. When I started looking at my Stong's concordance I saw that the Hebrew meaning of honor had something to do with "heavy". I was puzzled as to how this applied and I happened upon this. http://www.stjohnsdover.org/050306.html

-- Posted by devan on Mon, Jan 14, 2008, at 2:10 PM

What about honoring a drug abusing or alocoholic parent? Is that honorable and should we honor them? For some reason, I don't think this is set in stone, but the alternatives were obviously never addressed, which doesn't surprise me, considering the Bible was written by humans :)

-- Posted by darrick_04 on Mon, Jan 14, 2008, at 6:36 AM

What if parents are child abusers or they sexually molest their children? Are the children supposed to honor them anyway? Does the Bible address this? Is there some passage in the Bible that contradicts this commandment or is this commandment "set in stone" and non-negotiable? Should the children honor their mothers and fathers regardless of how hideously their parents treat them? Just asking.

-- Posted by volfanatic on Sun, Jan 13, 2008, at 11:23 PM

Some people may not have the best authority figures in the world.

The response to that is becoming as good and sensible individual as one can.

That way,they are receiving honor (whether they can appreciate it or not) and the child can still be functional and respect himself.

We can't always give our family members what they need financially or physically but we can offer them all the love we have.

If that's in short supply,ask God to provide some of His.

He'll give you every bit you need.

-- Posted by quantumcat on Sun, Jan 13, 2008, at 5:32 PM