Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother that your days may be prolonged in the Land which the Lord your God gives you.
As difficult as it is for children to obey their parents, one finds that it is still harder to honor them. Honor entails more than obedience. Obedience can be accomplished with hatred and bitterness. Honor finds no company with sin. It is apparent that God takes this commandment seriously. It is the first one that He has given to us with a promise to those who keep it (Ephesians 6:2).
Honor involves respect for your parents’ God-given roles. It cannot be demanded, forced, or bought. Honor is not dependent on the character of the one receiving it, but only of those commanded to give it. Just as He does in all areas of life, Jesus stands as our perfect example. He did not bitterly obey His Father’s request to die on the cross, but humbly honored His Father’s will (Luke 22:42, Philippians 2:8). We must honor our parents with the same respect that Jesus honored His Father.
God’s fifth commandment leaves us no room for disrespecting those whom God has placed in authority over us. In what ways have you been less than honoring to your mother or father this week? I pray that the Lord would convict your disrespect so that you may approach them with a heart of forgiveness. I encourage you to do this today.