Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Fifth Commandment

You shall honor your father and mother.
Just listen to your parents! They are the ones who brought you into this world, who love you, and who care for you. So listen to them.
Now there is an exception to this rule: if your parents tell you to do something that conflicts with God. So if they tell you to do something you know you aren't suppose to do, or know is against God's other commandments, you don't have to listen to them.
But even if they aren't telling you to do something bad, it's easy to fall into the trap of disobeying parents- you eat that forbidden extra cookie when you're a kid, or say a word like 'stupid' that you aren't suppose to say. And it only gets harder when you're a teenager- the keys are right there but your parents won't let you drive, or you swear like everyone else at school and your parents flip.
And when your parents tell you you have to be back by 11, you start thinking, "Ok, so it's a commandment to obey my parents, but does God really care if I spend an extra hour at John's house?"
No, there is a really good chance God doesn't care how long you spend at John's house. But He does care if you don't obey your parents. I'm sure you can come up with at least five good reasons to listen to your parents without thinking-
-respect
-love
-loyalty
-trust
-they would kill me
You only need one reason though- because God said so. That pretty much trumps everything else.

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