Most of us have heard from our parents the most simplistic rationale for obedience, “Because I said so!” How much more influence should “Because God said so!” have on our willingness to obey? In the end we need to recognize that there are spiritual reasons that God commands us to treat our parents with respect and deference, to assign them value and to treat them accordingly. Failure to do so inhibits our ability to assign proper value to our heavenly Father and may cause us to miss out on what it means to be a part of the family of God.

For further consideration: In what way is the fifth commandment foundational to all the others? What is included in honoring our parents? What parameters must we use when determining how best to honor them? How did Jesus demonstrate what it means to keep the fifth commandment? How can you bless either your literal or spiritual parents with a word of encouragement this week? What past action can you thank them for? Why is it necessary to forgive our parents for misdeeds or abusive actions and attitudes, and how do we find the strength to do so?

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