The Word from the Top
– Part 3

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

In the fifth commandment, God says, ‘Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.’ That means children must respect their parents, and parents must prove worthy of respect. Abraham and Lot were from the same family, but there was a big difference in their parenting styles. And it showed up dramatically at the destruction of Sodom. Concerning Abraham, God said, ‘I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him’ (Genesis 18:19). Before God destroyed Sodom, we read: ‘The two men (angels) said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here…Get them out …because we are going to destroy this place”…So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law…He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking’ (Genesis 19:12-14). Do you have credibility with your children? Do they take you seriously? Here are two quotes from history every parent needs to think long and hard about. The first is from evangelist Billy Sunday: ‘The tragedy of my life is that although I’ve led thousands of people to Jesus Christ, my own sons are not saved.’ The second is from Lord Houghton: ‘The Christian home is the Master’s workshop where the processes of character molding are silently, lovingly, faithfully and successfully carried on.’

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to be a positive example to my children that reflects You. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN