Daily Devotional for Sunday, October 19

Hearken to Your Father

“Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,” Proverbs 23:22, 23.

Ephesians 6:2 recorded that the commandment to honor thy father and thy mother is the first commandment with a promise. This promise is in Exodus when the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments. “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). If you honor your parents as a child under their care through obedience and honor them as an adult by respecting them, God has promised it will be well with you. One way this is true is that your own children will obey, honor and respect you.

            It is much easier to listen to a father and mother who have lived a life of godliness. Nonetheless, either way, the responsibility of a child is to glean and to learn from his or her parents. Solomon was not a perfect father. This is seen through Scripture. Even though God gave him great wisdom and riches, he turned from godliness to worldliness. Yet, he knew the importance of teaching his sons that knowing God and walking in wisdom was going to give them the abundant life which God desires to give to those who obey Him.

            God has given the responsibility to teach children to the parents, and it is the responsibility of the children to listen and obey their parents. When the parent teaches and the child obeys, you are both fulfilling your God-given duty.

            Perhaps you find yourself as a parent to young children. Ephesians 6 says to love and to nurture them in the Lord, or maybe you are at a place right now where you realize you did not listen to the wise counsel of your parents.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

No matter the situation, God’s desire is that you start to follow Him today, and He will provide the way.

Karry Irizarry