Category: Practical Apps

Honor Your Parents

~ Sowmya Gali

Exodus 20: 12

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

This is the only commandment that comes with a promise. We didn’t just show up on this planet at this particular time. God chose a man and a woman to bring us forth. We are here because of our parents. We had no choice of who our parents were going to be as the All-Knowing God made that choice for us. Many are blessed with loving parents while many have no parents or have/had tough ones.

When we were babies and toddlers, our world was our parents. The delight of seeing them, being held close, smelling them and just being in their presence brought us immense joy and comfort. From about four till ten years, our parents were our super heroes. They were our joy-givers, toy-fixers, hurt-pacifiers, tear-wipers, and magic-performers. As we inched into our teen years, we began contending with them over trivial things. We began to think they are not smart enough for our generation and that we knew more than them. Come late teens and young adults, we concluded that we don’t need our parents any more. Definitely, we didn’t want them to make decisions for us, albeit we wanted their approval for all our choices and decisions.

As we became adults and started raising our own families, we begin to compare ourselves to our parents. We are who we are today because of our parents. Whether positive or negative, we have been shaped predominantly by our parents. When we have to make a decision, we wonder if our parents would agree. When we accomplish something, we wonder if our parents would be proud of us. Anything we do or think, our initial thoughts run towards our parents. It matters to us immensely that our parents are proud of us, approve of our decisions, and applaud and brag about our accomplishments. We place them on a pedestal that is highly esteemed. When it matters so much about what our parents think of us, why then don’t we give them the respect they deserve? We are eager for our boss’s approval, search for a teacher’s nod and appreciation of several others under whose authority we live our lives. We honor and respect them. However, when it comes to our parents, it must matter even more.

In the process, we fail to realize that our parents are also humans and are prone to making mistakes. Since we used to esteem them highly, we assume that they cannot make a mistake. One mistake or one unkind word shatters our faith in them. We say we forgive them for all the hurt they caused us but fail to forget. We dwell on those bitter moments far too long, share with anyone who is willing to listen and sympathize with us and prolong the misery. In doing so, we slowly erode the love, respect and honor we have for our parents with our own bitterness. Even when they are kind to us, and trying to help us, we tend to shun them. On the contrary, we assume they carry an agenda every time they speak lovingly to us.

The Bible clearly commands us to honor our parents so we may be blessed and live a long life. Are we honoring and respecting our parents superficially or with all our hearts? Is it so difficult to not only forgive but also forget every hurtful thing they might have inflicted on us? More often we are willing to forgive and forget others’ mistakes but not those who are closest to us, especially of our parents. We carry that burden for several years, allowing that hurt to gnaw on us, both mentally and spiritually. We go through life doing all the right things, being busy with God’s work, ministering and living godly lives. We seem to be running on a treadmill not prospering neither spiritually nor socially.

What we fail to recognize is there might be a particular sin in our lives that still lingers! We have failed to forgive and forget the mistakes our parents have committed towards us. Thereby, we have failed to honor them with the love and respect that they deserve. If we fail to love and honor our parents, we will certainly fail to love and honor God. The Bible warns us that we will be cursed if we fail to honor our parents. (Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother. Deuteronomy 27: 16) Jesus warned His followers in Matthew 15: 4 – “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’

Our parents sacrificed much to bring us up, kept us in comfort, provided food, clothing and shelter, best education that they could afford, taught us spiritual and moral values and much more. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only Son Jesus Christ on the cross, so we could eternally be with Him in His glory, and under His protection. We would be free from sin and shame, and enjoy every blessing that comes with obedience in this life and the next. What more parallelism do we need to understand this very important commandment!

If in life we are not progressing, discontented with life, wondering where we are heading, disgruntled over little issues, and not really enjoying God’s goodness and blessings, then we must consider this sin that may persist in our lives. We must seek God’s forgiveness as well as our parents’ if they are still living before it is too late. We must seek God’s help to forget as well. We must teach ourselves to love and honor our parents. Consider this: What if God gave us parents to test our devotion towards Him? If we could love and honor them with all our hearts who are physically in front of us, then we will love and honor an omnipresent God as well. Failing to do so, we have broken the greatest commandment of all.

Dearly beloved, let us seek the Holy Spirit’s help to give us the changed heart and strength to forgive and forget our parents’ mistakes. Let us learn to love and honor them with all our hearts for it is pleasing to God. Despite their failures, we must persist in loving and honoring them all the days of their lives. In doing so, we will be blessed. In doing so, our days will be prolonged. In doing so, we are setting a good example to the next generations. And in doing so, we are honoring God.

King Josiah – The Renewal

~ Sowmya Gali ~ 1 Comment

2 Kings 23: 2He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets – all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.

2 Kings 22 records of Josiah’s discovery of God’s word. He had not been brought up with the Law of God. He was totally ignorant of the rule of law because his predecessors have not set a good example. However, when he heard the scriptures being read by the high priest, he tore his clothes and repented before God. He sought to find out more about God. Because of his desire to know more about the true God, God Almighty spared him from the curse. He was promised a peaceful life and that during his reign he will not witness any evil.

Josiah, in honor of the living God, cleansed the temple of all idols, and ensured every altar and every high place all across the kingdom were burned down. He invited the citizens of his kingdom to the temple and in their hearing, read the Word of God. He made a covenant before the Lord that day in the hearing of all the people – to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant. 2 Kings 23: 3

Not only the king repented but the entire nation of Judah repented before the Lord. The king and his people pledged to follow the Lord. A revival of an entire nation happened that day. Not only he destroyed all the idols and high places in Judea but he also went into Samaria and destroyed the high places there. He spared no high priest who offered or sacrificed to the idols and killed them. Until he finished cleansing the land of all the idols and idol worship, he didn’t return to Jerusalem. Such was his zeal for the Lord.

Soon after his return to Jerusalem, he commanded his people to celebrate the Passover. He understood the significance of the Passover – the shedding of an innocent lamb for the redemption of sins. The Bible records that such a Passover was not celebrated since the days of Samuel and never was celebrated since then. Even during the reign of the kings of both Israel and Judah, such a grand Passover was not celebrated. During the Passover, King Josiah, priests, the Levites and other officials gave animals as freewill offering. They did everything according to the ordinance written in the Word. The blood was sprinkled by the high priests on the people and the entire nation was sanctified that day. They renewed their covenant before the Lord that day.

2 Kings 23: 25Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

Can you imagine such a revival in these last days? Imagine an entire nation repenting of their sins and the sins of their forefathers, renewing the relationship with God and ensuring that there is no evil in the land! Is it even possible to be sanctified at such a large scale today? If a little ember can set a forest ablaze, can’t a single flickering soul set ablaze a revival fire in the hearts of people in this land and in the world? Yes, there are pastors, leaders who are striving to bring the Good News of the Gospel and they are sounding the alarm of the impending Rapture and Tribulation. God, in His mercy, is giving us opportunities for us to return to Him and renew our relationship with Him once again. Alas, the hearts of people have turned stone cold!

We, who are believers, must continue to fan into flames the holy fire that has set our hearts ablaze so others around us can catch it. Let us not hide this little light under a bushel but set it high on a pedestal so everyone can see. The time is now. Let us be the torchbearers for the Lord in these last days. One renewed soul on fire can bring a whole nation to its knees before the Lord.