Family!

For Friday, May 24, 2024:

Ephesians 6:3 NLT: “If you honor your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.’”

This is the first commandment with a promise. According to God, honoring your father and mother is not only the right thing to do, but it reenforces the natural order of life, God’s plan. The saddest funerals are when a child has died and his parents are among the mourners. God’s natural order and simple logic should have us expecting children to outlive their parents!

Progeny are given the spirit of independence to leave home, select a mate and start a new family. But an important thing, according to this commandment, is to also not forget the old family. We can glean a great deal of wisdom from their experience of living a long life. I wish I had appreciated what good people my parents were when they were still alive.

I have become a fan of the extended family, several generations living under one roof. One of our daughters and her son have lived with us from time to time. Life seems better when they are here. If they have traveled away, I feel like something is missing!

Honoring your parents is a lot like loving your neighbors. We need to be kind and helpful. We need to be available to do the next right thing. Honoring parents can be a lot of work! Are you up for the task?

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship