October 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Part 1 of the Ten Commandments deals with our relationship to God. It can be summarized as "Love God above all." Part 2 deals with relationships between people. It can be summarized as "Love your neighbor as yourself."

But the fifth commandment is "in between." It does not deal with the vertical relationship—not quite. And it does not deal with the horizontal relationship—not quite. Our parents stand between God and us. They must be honored and obeyed because it pleases God to place them above us. We obey them not because they are good and wise but because they are our parents. Obedience to them is an act of reverence to God.

"Honoring" our parents is more than "obeying" them. Even when we move away and live apart from our parents as singles or married couples with children of our own, we still have to honor our parents. We never outgrow that obligation.

God commands children to obey, and he gives authority to parents. But authority is never something we hold permanently. It is given to us only for a particular purpose. Ultimately we must give account to God, who gave it.

God has given all forms of authority for the performance of a certain task or service. Parental authority is the most basic of all forms of authority—and the most inclusive. It is also the most demanding. Parents must raise their children in the fear of the Lord and bring them up until they are mature enough to stand on their own and make their own decisions in obedience to God and with a sense of responsibility for their fellow human beings.

This is the biggest job most people get to do in their lifetimes. It can also be the most rewarding. The rewards of keeping this commandment, for parents as well as for children, are received already in the present life.

REFLECTIONS

How do you show honor to your parents? What difference has this made in your life?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.