Can you imagine a world without parents?

Would you still do your homework?

Get out of bed for school?

Eat your vegetables?

Limit your screen time & video game time?

Clean your room?

Hopefully, we all agree that a life without parents would cause chaos. Yet, a life refusing to obey parents causes chaos as well!

Text: Ephesians 6:1-3 states, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Context: The apostle Paul is writing about authority in Ephesians 6. The children mentioned here are those living in their parents’ household — hence, if you’re living with your parents/guardians, obeying and honoring them applies to you!

Topic: Why obey & honor your parents?

1. First, the Bible says it’s right to! Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

Do you see that little phrase “in the Lord”? It means that we are to obey our parents in everything that does not contradict God’s will.

A simple rule to live by is this: if what your parents are asking you to do is not against God’s Word, you’re to do it happily. Practically speaking, it means you should obey them in all areas, even if it’s things like cleaning up your room, avoiding certain friendships/relationships, and limiting cell phone/social media use.

Yet notice also how our passage doesn’t just say to obey them — you’re to obey them with honor as well! 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

Simply put, honor means to respect them. You can technically obey with a rotten, awful attitude; a smirk on your face, and scorn in your heart — but the Bible tells us to both obey AND to honor (respect) our parents. We can’t expect to live a happy, long life if we don’t honor our parents as well.

2. The second reason to obey your parents is because it’s rewarding!

6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

God promises that if we will both obey and honor our parents, we’ll enjoy the blessing of living a long, happy life. Parents often understand the dangers that face youth, and so many of their rules are to protect, guide, and watch over you and NOT to make your life “miserable” and “no fun!”

On the opposite hand, if you break your parents’ rules, you are at extreme risk of hurting yourself now or down the road. Hence, if it’s anything from cleaning your room to who you date — you’ll be really glad you listened to your parents!

It’s truly a big deal to God if we don’t honor our parents — in fact, disobedience to parents is listed in the same list of sins as “haters of God”: “Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,” (Romans 1:30).

Thankfully, you have a choice today. If you haven’t been obeying and honoring as you should, make today be the day you start. Remember, it’s not only right to, but it’s rewarding as well — you’ll never regret that you both honored and obeyed your parents!