My parents have been gone for several years. They were good
people, set a great example. I loved them and really miss them. In a recent
conversation with others who struggle caring for aging parents, I’m reminded of
God’s command to honor our parents. This morning, I’m thinking that every time
I did not obey them as a child, or every time I complained about them, I was
dishonoring them. I was not a rebel as a child, but at bit of a smart mouth who
sometimes treated them as if they didn’t know anything.
Dishonoring parents is one thing; God says it shortens my
life. Today’s Scripture readings show me that dishonoring God also happens.
Every time I disobey Him or complain about the way He sovereignly rules the
world (or just my world) I am treating Him as if He does not know what He is
doing. Thoughts of dishonoring my parents makes me ashamed and sad; thoughts of
dishonoring God make me shudder.
Paul started this line of thought in his first letter to
young pastor Timothy:
Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. (1 Timothy 6:1)
When servants
consider their masters (or employees consider their boss) worthy of all honor, they give others no reason to slander the name
of the Lord and His teaching. Put in another way, if a Christian honors those
for whom they work, then onlookers will be impressed by the God we serve and
the things that the Bible teaches.
This theme continues
in the letter to Titus, another pastor. Paul tells him to teach the men and
women to be godly people. He lists a few examples to describe what that should
look like, then gives his reason . . . that the word of God may not be reviled. (Titus 2:5)
He continues with the same line of reasoning, first to
younger men in general, then to Titus, then to those who serve others:
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. (Titus 2:6–10)
In other words, obedience to God builds a good reputation;
disobedience results in the opposite, not just saying bad things about Christians
but about the Bible from which we get our teaching and the God to whom we claim
to belong. My obedience makes God and His Word look better in the eyes of those
who do not believe it!
I say that I want others to know the Lord, to see the
wonder of who He is and His loving care. That means I better act like it, not
merely by talking about Him but by doing as He says. If God is all that I claim
Him to be, then my life and behavior must demonstrate that faith.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lord, I realize that obeying You is vital for my own walk.
Today You are making it clear that my obedience is vital for how others think
about You and Your Word. Every time I dishonor You in some way, then others
will also dishonor You big time. If I’m connecting the dots correctly, then
Your people are responsible for the blasé attitude in the world toward the
Bible, and perhaps even the notion that God is dead or does not exist. For our
part in that, we need forgiveness and a renewed sense of the importance of
doing what You say, living like You tell us to live.
Today’s thankful list . . .
The sense of God’s presence in worship today.
Brunch with a ninety-year-old friend.
Several hours with two other couples sharing our lives and
lots of laughter.
Hand-sewing that is so relaxing.
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