Ephesians 6:1-2, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;”
I realize now more than ever how important my parents are. They do so much for me even now as an adult. Not only did they feed, clothe, and love me, but they had to spend every day with me! For some of us, that is a lot right there. The first commandment with promise is Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Out of all the relationships you have throughout your life God time after time emphasizes how important it is to honor your parents. The word “honor” is used in the Bible 178 times. The first people God commands you to honor as you read your Bible is your parents, and he repeats this commandment in one way or another 8 times. Throughout the Bible, we see kings and rulers being described as having a lot of honor. How can we honor our parents? This is a question that takes a lifetime to fully answer.
Generally speaking honor means “to give value to”. It can be money, service, or time. It isn’t just for kids, or for teens either, but it is for grown adults! You always have your parents. I don’t have the same pastor I had as a kid, or youth pastor for that matter. I don’t have the same friends, or job. I do still have the same mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and even others who served as my guardian in other ways. The best way to honor your parents is to honor the Lord. To truly make the Lord happy, you need to honor your parents. To truly make your parents happy, you need to honor the Lord. The Bible says in Proverbs 28:7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son, then it says in Proverbs 29:3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father. As you serve the Lord, you may not always do the things the world teaches you is impressive. I was told over and over again as a teen that I should go to secular college first, then become a preacher. “You can always be a preacher,” they would tell me. I struggled with the decision for Bible college, or being faithful to church. I was a bus kid, and my parents didn’t always understand the actions I took. Looking back now, they always tell me how proud they are of what I’m doing.
Jesus told the Jews in John 6:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Lost people make their parents happy all the time, but there is a special kind of honor that only a saved person can give to their parents. A lifetime serving the Lord will provide honor that no one can buy with money! My wife and I are both bus teens who honored our parents with a proper wedding (Heb 13:4). We both honored our parents choosing Bible college and full time Christian service. John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” Here is what you should do with your life teenager. Get honor from God, and give it to your parents. Also never forget that God is deserving of all honor and glory. Between giving honor to Him, and giving honor to your parents you’ll be plenty busy.
Jesse McCammon | Pastor
Flora Calvary Baptist Church | Flora, IL
http://www.floracalvarybaptist.com