Open Heaven 13 February 2019 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Topic: The Place of God & Parents

Memorise: “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)”- Ephesians 6:2

Read: Exodus 20:3-12 (KJV)

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Bible in One Year: John 9-10, Isaiah 38:7-22

MESSAGE:
Our God is sovereign, and He loves justice and orderliness. Although He commanded us to honor and obey our parents and every other authority He sets over us, He did not by any means relinquished His supremacy over them all, neither did He place Himself on the same pedestal with anyone or anything else in heaven, on earth or under the earth. God is incomparable in worship, honor, adoration, glory, power and majesty forever. Speaking in several passages of the Bible, He makes it clear that we are to love Him with our whole being and that any other interest we have should be secondary to Him (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37). Therefore, loyalty, honor and obedience to parents can only come after total submission and obedience to God. To this effect, the Holy Spirit teaches in Psalm 27:10 that God’s love surpasses parental love. The Lord Jesus Christ also taught that in return for God’s love, our love, devotion and commitment to God must surpass what we offer our parents (Luke 14:36).

Nevertheless, God wants every child to live in obedience to his or her parents. Under no circumstance should parents be abused in anyway. Disobedience to parents is identified as one of the signs of the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-2). Also, Exodus 21:15-17 states clearly that anyone who beats up his or her parents or maltreats them in anyway shall surely be put to death. Note that death in this regard signifies spiritual and physical death, as referred to in Genesis 2:17. This often overlooked matter may be responsible for much of the evil and untimely death befalling young people all over the world, because the word of God is settled in heaven and ignorance is not a tenable excuse in God’s court. Parents should do their best to impress this point upon their children. None of our youngster will experience untimely death, physically or spiritually, in Jesus’ Name.

The Bible also says that honor and obedience to spiritual and biological parents is well pleasing unto the Lord (Colossians 3:20). Children of God are therefore admonished by God to honor and obey their parents, so that they may prosper in everything they do and live long to enjoy their prosperity. Ephesians 6:1-3 says:

“1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”

I pray that you will prosper greatly and live long to enjoy your prosperity with peace and joy in the Name of Jesus.

Action Point: Think of a unique way to consistently honor your parents and begin to do it.

Hymn 17: God Give Us Christian Homes

  1. God, give us christian homes!
    Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
    Homes where the master’s
    Will is sought,
    Homes crowned with beauty thy love hath wrought;
  2. God, give us christian homes;
    God, give us christian homes!
    God, give us christian homes!
    Homes where the father is true and strong,
    Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
    Homes that are joyous with love and song;
  3. God, give us christian homes;
    God, give us christian homes!
    God, give us christian homes!
    Homes where the mother, in queenly quest
    Strive to show others thy way is best
    Homes where the lord is an honoured guest;
  4. God, give us christian homes;
    God, give us christian homes!
    God, give us christian homes!
    Homes where the children are led to know
    Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
    Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;
    God, give us christian homes;
    God, give us christian homes!
    Amen.