FIRST COMMANDMENT WITH PROMISE
Memorise:
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which
the LORD thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12
Read:
Ephesians 6:1-3, Bible in one year: 1st Kings 12:16-13:34, Luke
4:14-37
Our God is a God of reward and an
excellent motivator. He gives a law, and specifies the reward that will follow
if we keep it (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). In like manner, He also indicates the
punishment attached to breaking any of his laws (Genesis 2:16-17). In our Bible
reading, we read about the first commandment with a promise. Apostle Paul got
the inspiration on this truth from Exodus 20:12. It is unfortunate that this
law of life is not being heeded by the young folks of today. This is the reason
why life expectancy is reducing. The story was told of a young boy in a very
remote part of Africa , who respected and honoured
his parents to the extent that their wish was law in his life. One of the rules
his parents gave him was that he should not eat anything that did not come from
them. “What if I was given something to eat outside, what should I do with it?”
he asked his parents. They said, “Bring it home before you eat it.” One day,
this boy went out with his friends to a neighbouring village where they were
given food packages. They had scarcely stepped out of this village when all
other boys started eating their food, which unknown to them had been poisoned.
Only this boy remembered the instructions of his parents and refused to even
open his pack. All the other boys died as soon as they got back to their
village, and he alone survived the attack. To a young man or woman reading this
devotional, I advise that you take this commandment which has longevity as its
reward very seriously.
Besides, there are two categories of
parents: biological and spiritual. Parents of both categories should be
honoured (Malachi 1:6). A believer must exhibit this trait so that unbelieving
parents will know that the best life to live is the Christian life. God watches
over His words to honour them. If you honour God by obeying this injunction, He
will keep you from evil. The problem with present day youths is that they think
they know more than older people do; hence, they disregard their instructions,
particularly those of their parents, to their own peril. Such youths can’t seem
to learn from the story of the rebellious Absalom, who met a premature death at
the prime of his life (2nd Samuel 18:9-15). He was so unruly that he
temporarily deposed his own father. Many youths in Church today scheme to get
their pastor out of the way so that they can be in charge. May God salvage this
generation from the spirit of rebellion in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer
point
Father,
grant me grace to keep the first commandment with promise, even when it’s not
convenient to do so, in Jesus’ Name.
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