Diligence vs. Slothfulness: Diligence is accepting each task as a special assignment from the Lord and using all my energies to do it quickly and skillfully.
It is clear in the Bible that God and His Son Jesus wanted us to follow His commandments.
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And if we do so, then we truly show where our allegiance lies.
John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
God does not want us to forget His commandments. He wants us to have them dwelling in our hearts. He wants us to build our whole life up from His commandments so that we may be blessed.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
If we keep His commandments, then He will give us full joy and we shall abide in His love.
John 15:10-11
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.
We know when we are in the LORD when we keep His commandments and His love dwells in us and shows through us.
1 John 2:3-5
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
If we do not follow His commandments, but say we are a Christian, then we are liars. Lying is a sin and we cannot have complete fellowship and peace with God because that sin causes a breach in our relationship with Him.
1 John 1:6
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
Now that we have established this, have hopefully agreed to this and have this on our mind, I will now turn to one of God’s laws.
Honor your parents
Honor vs. disrespect
Honor is humbling myself in the presence of a God-given authority and expressing my devotion with an appropriate gift.
Honoring our parents is very important to God. So important, in fact, that dishonoring them requires the punishment of death. Dishonoring in God’s eyes is sin.
Matt. 15:4
For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Exodus 21:15, 17
And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death… And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
We are commanded to honor our parents in Old and New Testament. Note that none of the verses say ‘only if your parents are honorable’ or ‘only if your parents are following the Lord’. God means us to obey AND honor our parents no matter what.
Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Colossians 3:20
Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
(In the Greek, the word CHILDREN means ‘a youth’, not just a little child)
Not only are we to honor our parents, we are also to obey them all the time, everyday, in every way.
Proverbs 6:20-22
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
In fact, since we are younger, we are commanded to submit to our elders. Note that this has no age limit on it. If we do not submit then we are being proud arrogant fools.
1 Peter 5:5
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
We are counted wise when we make our father glad by obedience, but foolish if we are a rebellious burden causing our mothers sadness.
Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son [is] the heaviness of his mother.
The only time that we are no longer subject to obey our parents is when we get married.
Mark 10:7
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
But we are still told in 1 Peter 5:5 to submit and be humble, and God never said that we could stop honoring our father and mother.
Also marriage means that you are now under each other’s authority.
WIVES
Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Titus 2:5
[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
HUSBANDS
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Colossians 3:19
Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them.
1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
If we do not honour our parents and obey them, then we are clearly disobeying and breaking God’s law. What does that make the Christian look like to the rest of the world then?
Examining my heart:
What do I most value about the role my parents have had in my life?
They have kept me safe from many outside influences that could have destroyed me and they have given me a firm Biblical foundation to grown on.
How have I shown my peers that I honor my parents?
I hope so. I have followed my parents wishes in many decisions that my friends have not agreed with and I have done my best to speak well of my parents and back them up, though at times I have also done very poorly in this.
In what areas could I seek my parents counsel?
In courtship, in money, in big decisions
What gifts of appreciation have I given my parents?
Notes, hugs, kisses, doing extra jobs for them,
Are my decisions in life honoring to my parents?
I believe so. If they feel that I am straying from what they feel is important to God then we have a talk and I work to correct my way. I have done a lousy job in the past, but with God’s grace, I am getting better.
What rewards have I received from honoring my parent’s counsel?
Protection, security, contentment knowing that I am in God’s will, and joy being in that will, and most of all, the joy that comes with being in such a close relationship with my parents.
Do I recognize the sovereignty of God in my relationship with my parents?
I do. It grows stronger the closer I become to my parents and the more I honor them.
I think that we would all do well to examine our hearts and make sure that we are following and obeying God’s commandments the way that He clearly says to, NOT the way we want to.
It is clear in the Bible that God and His Son Jesus wanted us to follow His commandments.
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And if we do so, then we truly show where our allegiance lies.
John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
God does not want us to forget His commandments. He wants us to have them dwelling in our hearts. He wants us to build our whole life up from His commandments so that we may be blessed.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
If we keep His commandments, then He will give us full joy and we shall abide in His love.
John 15:10-11
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.
We know when we are in the LORD when we keep His commandments and His love dwells in us and shows through us.
1 John 2:3-5
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
If we do not follow His commandments, but say we are a Christian, then we are liars. Lying is a sin and we cannot have complete fellowship and peace with God because that sin causes a breach in our relationship with Him.
1 John 1:6
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
Now that we have established this, have hopefully agreed to this and have this on our mind, I will now turn to one of God’s laws.
Honor your parents
Honor vs. disrespect
Honor is humbling myself in the presence of a God-given authority and expressing my devotion with an appropriate gift.
Honoring our parents is very important to God. So important, in fact, that dishonoring them requires the punishment of death. Dishonoring in God’s eyes is sin.
Matt. 15:4
For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Exodus 21:15, 17
And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death… And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
We are commanded to honor our parents in Old and New Testament. Note that none of the verses say ‘only if your parents are honorable’ or ‘only if your parents are following the Lord’. God means us to obey AND honor our parents no matter what.
Exodus 20:12
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Colossians 3:20
Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
(In the Greek, the word CHILDREN means ‘a youth’, not just a little child)
Not only are we to honor our parents, we are also to obey them all the time, everyday, in every way.
Proverbs 6:20-22
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, [and] tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and [when] thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
In fact, since we are younger, we are commanded to submit to our elders. Note that this has no age limit on it. If we do not submit then we are being proud arrogant fools.
1 Peter 5:5
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
We are counted wise when we make our father glad by obedience, but foolish if we are a rebellious burden causing our mothers sadness.
Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son [is] the heaviness of his mother.
The only time that we are no longer subject to obey our parents is when we get married.
Mark 10:7
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
But we are still told in 1 Peter 5:5 to submit and be humble, and God never said that we could stop honoring our father and mother.
Also marriage means that you are now under each other’s authority.
WIVES
Ephesians 5:22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Titus 2:5
[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
HUSBANDS
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Colossians 3:19
Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them.
1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
If we do not honour our parents and obey them, then we are clearly disobeying and breaking God’s law. What does that make the Christian look like to the rest of the world then?
Examining my heart:
What do I most value about the role my parents have had in my life?
They have kept me safe from many outside influences that could have destroyed me and they have given me a firm Biblical foundation to grown on.
How have I shown my peers that I honor my parents?
I hope so. I have followed my parents wishes in many decisions that my friends have not agreed with and I have done my best to speak well of my parents and back them up, though at times I have also done very poorly in this.
In what areas could I seek my parents counsel?
In courtship, in money, in big decisions
What gifts of appreciation have I given my parents?
Notes, hugs, kisses, doing extra jobs for them,
Are my decisions in life honoring to my parents?
I believe so. If they feel that I am straying from what they feel is important to God then we have a talk and I work to correct my way. I have done a lousy job in the past, but with God’s grace, I am getting better.
What rewards have I received from honoring my parent’s counsel?
Protection, security, contentment knowing that I am in God’s will, and joy being in that will, and most of all, the joy that comes with being in such a close relationship with my parents.
Do I recognize the sovereignty of God in my relationship with my parents?
I do. It grows stronger the closer I become to my parents and the more I honor them.
I think that we would all do well to examine our hearts and make sure that we are following and obeying God’s commandments the way that He clearly says to, NOT the way we want to.
Shieldmaiden,
ReplyDeleteThis is a well-done post!
Thank you for sharing it!
Mrs. A.