THINK TOGETHER.
Are your parents old (be careful how you answer)?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 23:22. Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
My mother is old. Thankfully because she is so old I no longer have to honor her, or love her, or listen to her. In fact, I can just go ahead and start despising her. Right? NO! Wrong. God wants us to honor and care for our parents for-ev-er.
In the Ten Commandments when God tells us to honor our father and our mother he was talking to the whole nation of Israel, a nation full of adults with old parents. God didn’t say you only have to honor your parents when you’re a child. In our proverb today, Solomon tells us to not despise our parents when they get old. Well, if the parent is old the child is also likely getting old too (my mom is 86 and I am 54 – both old). And in the New Testament, Jesus yelled at the adult religious leaders of his day for not taking care of their parents as they got old. Here’s what he said to them:
Matthew 15:4-7. 4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’…5But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7You hypocrites!
Jesus was upset because they didn’t help their aging parents but instead kept all their money by saying that it was “for God.” But Jesus says they are disobeying God’s word and being hypocrites (fakers). Jesus himself took care of his mother, Mary. He even asked John to take care of Mary after he died and went back up to Heaven. And of course, Jesus honored his Father, God, on Earth and he will honor him forever and ever.
Right now your parents take care of you, but one day you might have to take care of them when they get old. With Jesus you can and should honor your parents with the same honor he has shown to you. The same honor we will all receive in Heaven.
Because of Jesus we have the power to honor our parents.
With Jesus we can be helpful and care for our parents, especially as they get older.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
What is one way you can show honor to your parents (grandparents) this week?
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, you honor me. Help me to honor my parents the same way. Amen.
TLICfamily 