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Reflections: Daily Devotions in Disability Ministry

Parents Are Special

July 25, 2010

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV)

Today is Parents Day! It is a great day to celebrate our parents. Even though many of us are already grown up, we all have parents. It doesn’t matter if we live in the same house with our parents or live near them. Even if our parents have gone to be with Jesus, we can celebrate the parents that God gave us.

Parents are mentioned many times in the Bible. In the Old Testament part of the Bible, Moses wrote down many commandments that God had given to him for the Israelites. Our verse today from Exodus is one that Moses wrote down. It is part of the Ten Commandments that we learn about in Bible class. Even though we know we can’t keep the commandments perfectly, we know God wants us to try our best. The Holy Spirit, who lives in us, makes our trying possible. This commandment is the only one with a promise attached. God wants to give us a special blessing as we try to honor our parents.

In the New Testament part of the Bible, in the book of Colossians, Paul sets up rules for Christian households. He explains how God wants Christian husbands, wives and children to act toward each other. He says we should love each other, and not make other family members sad and angry on purpose. Again, this would be impossible for us to do perfectly, but the Holy Spirit will help us to try our best.

Martin Luther explained that to honor our mother and father means to serve and obey them, love and cherish them. We can tell our parents how much we love and cherish them on this special day. If our parents are in heaven with Jesus, we can love and cherish the memories we have of them. Maybe we could share a special memory of our mother or father with someone today.

God has given us parents to love and guide us. What a special blessing they are!

Dear God, thank You for the special blessing of our parents. We know You have given them to us for love and guidance. Holy Spirit, help us to honor and love them in our own special way. Amen.

Lois Diebel, Ministry Consultant – FL & GA
http://bethesdalutherancommunities.org/resources/spiritualResources/pmc.asp

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