My wife and I recently read the book “The Best Gift You Can
Ever Give Your Parents” by Dennis Rainey. This book is for us, a life changing
study on the 5th Commandment to honor your father and mother.
Many people (both Christians and non-Christians alike) have
heard of this commandment, but they forget, refuse or do not know how to obey
it. The culture in America
has stepped so far away from the 5th Commandment, as both children
and adults are taught that they deserve everything they want and that all their
troubles are to be blamed on the shortcomings of their parents. God’s
Commandment is not to honor your father and mother who are perfect, or honor
your father and mother as long as they _______ (fill in the blank). The commandment is simple: honor your Father
and Mother…regardless of their behavior or performance.
When God gave this commandment, He thought this honor so
important that He commanded the leaders of His people to put to death any child
that struck or cursed his father or mother; basically, severely punishing those
children that neglected to honor
their parents (Exodus 21:15, 17).
There is also a promise to this commandment that is too
often neglected as well: “Honor Your Father and Mother, that your days may
be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you”. God’s commandment is both for the benefit of
the parents and the benefit of the child that honors God by obeying this
command.
Another important factor is the placement of the 5th
Commandment. The commandment to honor
our Father and Mother comes after 4 commandments dealing with how man relates
to God. With these commandments, God places Himself as the one above all – anyone
or anything else. The first command God
gives us in how to relate to other
people is to honor our mother and father. This shows just
how important this commandment is to God. It comes higher than God’s instructions
not to steal, murder, commit adultery or lie. Honoring our parents should be a
direct result of our faith in God and making what is important to Him important
to us.
So how are we to honor our parents? Yes, as little children,
we are to obey and follow our parent’s instruction, but what are we to do as
adults? This book showcases the important value of paying tribute to our
parents, no matter their parenting (either past or present). We encourage you
to write a tribute to your parents, focusing on the good. My wife Kristy never had a “close” relationship
with her mom for various reasons, but after reading this book, she found the
importance of not only following God and ALL His
commandments, but also learned HOW.
By writing a letter focusing on the gratitude, we are then softening
the areas of our heart that may have hardened; thus, increasing the capacity in
which we are able to worship! We turn the area which once held our negative
thoughts and hurt feelings over to those attributes which honor God: gratitude,
thankfulness, joy, and praise! Plus…it just feels good to do so. Dennis Rainey puts it perfectly in his book:
“By honoring your parents for their positive contributions in your life,
you highlight the legacy of their lives. You bring value and dignity to human
beings who may have never been successful by the world’s standards.”
“For this Commandment which I command you today is not too
difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.” (Deuteronomy 30:11)
When God calls us to obey, we can sometimes be overwhelmed
by the changes we must make to follow Him.
Only Christ was able to obey all Ten Commandments perfectly, but God
gave us the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish what we cannot do on our own.
“If you love Me, you will keep My Commandments. And I will
ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not
behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will
be in you.” (John 14:15-17)
If you have received Christ as your Savior, God has given
you His helper, the Holy Spirit, who can empower you to fulfill God’s
Commandments. Let the Spirit help you to honor your parents, even as adults. If
you are fortunate to have been blessed with great Christian parents, this is
still a wonderful opportunity to bless them and lift them up. We pray that by seeking
to obey God and His Commandments to honor your Father and
Mother, you’ll experience God’s blessing as a result.
Author Disclaimer:
David Edmisten and justopenthebook.com do not have any affiliation with
Dennis Rainey, Family Life Publishers or Family Life Ministries. However, justopenthebook.com is an affiliate
of Christianbook.com and receives a commission on the sale of any books
purchased through justopenthebook.com.
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About David Edmisten
David Edmisten is the President of justopenthebook.com, an
online ministry encouraging others to develop a closer relationship with God by
opening and studying His word. After
years of living in the world’s ways, this self- described “heavy metal guy” found
and accepted Jesus Christ as His savior in 2005. With God’s help, he has overcome addictions
and learned to live by faith to serve God.
After more than ten years in the financial services
industry, most recently as a Financial Advisor, David felt called by God to
leave the corporate world and start on online Christian ministry. A native Californian, David and his family
moved sight unseen to Cumming, GA
(north of Atlanta)
in 2008. David lives with his wife
Kristy and their 4 young children, where they enjoy homeschooling, outdoor
activities, music, games and family fun.
David has earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation
from the College for Financial Planning and is a graduate of the University of California,
Santa Barbara. He is a member of High Tech Ministries in Atlanta and has led small
groups in men’s and financial ministries.
He enjoys playing guitar, writing, speaking, and sharing God’s
word. He is also author of the Faith
Takers blog (http://justopenthebook.com/faithtakers),
which is the journal of his walk of faith since leaving the corporate world to
follow God.Learn more at:
http://www.justopenthebook.com
http://justopenthebook.com/faithtakers
http://www.justopenthebook.com/forum
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