Daily Devotional Saturday 25th May 2024
by William Moody
Exodus 20:1–12
The Ten Commandments
20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before1 me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands2 of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
(ESV)
The fifth commandment reminds us how our love for God should make a great difference in our family life. Honouring parents: while still a child at home means mainly obeying parents with a right attitude. It is important to train our children the importance of the attitude with which they act. In training children we’re seek to not just mould behaviour but to shepherd their hearts.
When children become adults and particularly when they get married, there is a new relationship with parents who they have left (Genesis 2 v24). Problems arise when married children or their parents fail to realise they are no longer under their authority.
Honouring parents in adulthood moves from obedience to showing respect and care for our parents. Paul teaches that if someone does not care for the needs of their family they have denied the faith (1 Tim. 5 v8). A Christian who does not care for their parents is a contradiction. Sadly though, there are times when the care of parents, is left by even professing Christians to other family members.
Pray about the way you treat family members. Often those closest to us and those who have done most for us are those we treat with the least kindness.
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