Exodus 20:12
As you journey through
this life; know that the choices you make carry not only an impact upon your
very being but also the people who joined together in your blessed creation…
Your focus in life should be pleasing God and today we are reminded of a commandment
given by God to Moses which deals directly with how we are to not only treat
but also represent our parents… Understand today that there is always someone
who is watching you, taking notice of every move that you make and every action
you engage in; the message today is that you must make choices that will not
only better you, but make choices that will place you and the family which you
are a pat of in a good light… In bringing honor to our parents I am reminded of
the 3rd chapter in the gospel of Matthew which speaks of Jesus being
baptized, it is in that chapter that you will find these words recorded; “As soon as Jesus was
baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And
a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am
well pleased.” God says that He is pleased in His son; this
is one of the best honors which we can obtain is to please the Lord and we know
that what pleased God was not only that Jesus was His son, but more importantly
that He was accepting the divine will and plan that His father had for His
life… Know today that this is how you bring honor to your father and mother,
you must adhere to the guidelines and plans that they have put in placing
knowing that a man or woman of God will not steer you wrong… There are so many
who walk this earth for a short period of time not because it was there time to
go, but because they did not appreciate the love and kindness that came in the
discipline and structure which was provided by their parents… This is why
today’s focus verse says that we are to honor our father and mother so that
thy days may be long upon the land the Lord they God giveth thee… If you
want to have live and have it more abundantly; you must walk in the grace of
Jesus Christ and obey the parents which our heavenly father has blessed us
with… Moses reminds us that
we must be about bringing honor to our father and mother… It is very critical
that we take steps that are calculated and will not be regretted and shameful
at the conclusion or sunset of our days upon this earth… Whether we realize it
or not, every move that we make in life impacts our lives as well as the lives
of everyone that we know or are connected too… When I read this verse, my mind
goes back to my childhood and how as a child growing up I could remember how
often neighbors would say “that’s Annie’s little boy or that’s Quintin’s son
and let me tell you he is a handful…”
It was bad enough that
I did some “devilish” things; however, the biggest dishonor was how I
negatively impacted the way my parents were viewed in the neighborhood… Every mistake a child makes is often times
turned to how the parents didn’t raise them right or how they spoiled that
child too much… It wasn't until my junior year in high school that I
realized the bad impression that I gave others about my parents! People assumed
that my parents were simple and didn’t discipline me because of the things that
I did; it was by the actions that I took that people begin to draw conclusions
about how I was raised… These same principles apply to us today; this
commandment given by God is the first commandment with a promise! It states
that we should honor our father and mother so that our days may be prolonged…
What does it mean to honor your father and mother? This is not done by
words; it is not conveyed by thoughts, but rather actions… We are to bring
honor to God as our father through the decisions that we make on this earth!
Just as my parents parental skills were called into question because of my bad
behavior, there are a lot of people that question the faith you claim due to
the lifestyle that you live… Understanding
that God is our heavenly father lets us know that we have a duty to live a life
on this earth that will bring honor to Him and His word… When we attend church,
but continuously walk according to this world and live by the standards of this
world we allow people to question God and His sovereignty just like when we
make mistakes growing up and bring dishonor to the name of our parents… God
promises that your days may be prolonged because he knows that if you follow
His commands and obey His will you will prosper in this land and in your life!
Your parents always instructed you and disciplined you because they wanted to
see you reach high levels and go beyond expectation; when we disobey we are
lowering our success level and in essences cutting our lives short (when we do
this the promise is not fulfilled and our days are not prolonged)… We all can
attest that there are some decision that we made that didn’t bring honor to our
parents and if we really look at them closely, a lot of the decisions that we
made could have brought our lives to an end! Just like your parents on this
earth, no matter how many mistakes you have made, God hasn’t given up on you
and still loves and cares for you… Today let us focus on bringing honor to the
household of faith by living a life built on faith! Your days will be long,
your children will be blessed and God will be pleased when you follow His
commandments and trust His word! As my father taught me, “Remember who you
are and who’s you are!”
BE
BLESSED!!!
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