PODCAST

A Child’s Responsibility

January 10th, 2013

Deuteronomy 5:12-22 RG AUDIO 011013

The 5th commandment acts as a pivot or hinge between the first 4 commandments that relate specifically to God and the last 5 that relate to community and life on earth. This is quite logical, since parents are seen as the very representatives of God’s authority for the family and parents are responsible to teach their children about covenant life. Children are to respond in faithful obedience. This is foundational, because failure to keep covenant within the family can harm the entire community.

Children may fail to honor parents by obvious acts of disobedience including: disrespect, striking a parent, cursing a parent, or simply not obeying simple instructions or fulfilling daily duties. Not to honor one’s parents may also be seen in neglecting elderly parents or failing to provide adequate burial for them.

Since it is the parents who represent God to the children, to honor them is to honor the heavenly Father. Children have practiced with their earthly parents, but do we, as adults, also practice perfect obedience to our Father in heaven?

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3 Responses to “A Child’s Responsibility”

  1. Barbara Says:

    January 10th, 2013 at 8:28 am

    Excellent devotional!

  2. Pam Says:

    January 10th, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Amen and Praise God

  3. Barbara Says:

    January 10th, 2013 at 6:59 pm

    I’ve been pondering on the poor children that do not have a proper example of God’s love through their parents; and, how important it is that we show them our love according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

    Parents are not always as patient and kind as they should be, but they are usual not envious of their children, either. As a matter of fact, they have a tendency to be too proud of them. Many times children perceive their parents as rude and getting things their own way (self-seeking), but in time learn the priorities of life. Most children know that they can easily anger their parents.

    Therefore, they key is in the parents’ ability to not be a keeper of wrongs, a delighter of their child’s accomplishments, and, most of all, the fact that the parents protect them from evils of the world (all things of which Jesus gives us).

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