“Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving to you.” Exodus 20:12 (NET)

This simple yet profound rule is often missing in families today. If this was followed it would turn our society around. Note that this is primarily for adult children, that is you who are reading this. It speaks to how you respond to your own parents. Choosing to follow this rule does not depend on them being worthy of honor. It just tells you what you should do.

More generally, it establishes the pattern of how we should honor the position of authority in our lives. Honor implies that we listen to our parents, hear their concerns, act on them, and thus honor them with our lives and speak well of them. The phrase “long time in the land” teaches that the stability and longevity of any country depends on how well the people, as a society, honor their parents. In terms of homeland security, the most important thing, more than military or police or gun control, is for all of us to honor our parents. This important topic will be addressed more carefully and fully this Sunday.

Dr. Rev. Daniel McLean continues this sermon series examining the “Why the 10 Rules?” at Court House Nazarene church. In this church we experience the reality of God and express this reality by our love. The church is located at 990 State Route 41 SW in Washington Court House.

The Sunday service is at 10:30 a.m. and a study, with time for questions and interaction, is on Sunday evening at 5:00pm. Check our Facebook page @courthousenaz, and web site wchnaz.org.