Fifth Commandment - the first Commandment of Promise (JLO)

The Fourth Commandment. (Pasche, F.E.)

"Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is -well- pleasing unto the Lord." Col. S, 20.

“We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and masters nor provoke them to anger.” Children who disrespect their parents by disobeying them and doing other deeds of wickedness and thus provoke them to righteous anger and sorely grieve them surely are not lovely olive-branches, but sharp and pricking thorns about the family table. They dishonor God by despising their parents.

God says: "Honor thy father and thy mother.” Our parents are nearest, and ought to be dearest, to us: our father, of whom we have been begotten; our mother, of whom we have been born. Next to God we owe to them our very being. Therefore “honor thy father and thy mother.” This is a commandment of the most high God, and woe to him who disobeys it! When children have learned to honor their parents, they can no longer speak of them as “the old man” and “the old woman” ; nor will they marry when they have grown to manhood and womanhood without the knowledge and consent of their parents.

Honor to our parents implies that we serve them, and that we do so not only when bidden, but whenever an opportunity offers to do something of which we know that it will please them. And we must support, nourish, and cherish them when they grow old and helpless in order to “requite” them as the Bible says, that is, to return in part the loving care which they bestowed upon us when we were young and helpless.

Due honor to our parents demands that we also obey them; for the Lord says: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” And again He says. “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.” We should obey our parents in all things in which God has placed them over us and esteem them as a precious gift of God. Parents, to a certain extent, are the representatives of God over against their children. Obedient children are the pride of a home and give the hearts of their parents great pleasure.

Prayer.

Almighty God and Father, we confess that we have not honored Thee in Thy representatives, our parents, as we should have done, but have set aside Thy precept and therewith provoked Thy right­eous anger. Grant that we may know our sin and repent of it and accept as the atonement for our disobedience the perfect obedience of Thy dear Son. Give to all parents a due sense of their respon­ sibilities and enable them to exercise their office to Thine honor. Give to us hearts that fear and love Thee, that we may honor those whom Thou hast placed in authority over us and render to them obedience and service, love and esteem. Amen.

Give to thy parents honor due,

Be dutiful, and loving too,

And help them when their strength decays, 

So shalt thou have length of days.

DAILY READINGS IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890) 

March 4. Co-Workers with Christ

"Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it." John 2:7-8 

The servants' part in this miracle was important: they had to carry the water and fill the vessels, and then draw out and bring the wine to the guests. Thus they became co-workers with Christ in His miracle. So our Lord calls His people always to be His helpers in blessing the world. We cannot do much. The best we can bring is a little of the common water of earth; but if we bring that to Him — He can change it into the rich wine of Heaven, which will bless weary and fainting ones. If we take simply what we have and use it as He commands — it will do good. 

Moses had only a rod in his hand — but with this he wrought great wonders. The disciples had only five barley-loaves — but these, touched by Christ's hand, made a feast for thousands. So to the common water carried by these servants, under the Master's benediction, became wine for the wedding.

Christ passes the gifts of His love and grace through human hands to others. The redemption is divine, wrought by Christ alone — but the priesthood that mediates is human; human hands must distribute the blessings. Gifts of mercy can get to the lost — only through those who have been saved.

Then how striking is the other side of this truth: the servants carried only common water from the spring — but with Christ's blessing the water became good wine. So it always is when we do what Christ bids us to do — our most common work, leaves heavenly results. No labor is in vain which is wrought in the Lord. Our commonest work amid life's trivialities, in business, in the household, which seems but like the carrying of water to be emptied out again — is transformed into radiant service like angel ministry, and leaves glorious results behind. The simplest things we do at Christ's bidding — may become immortal blessing to other souls or to our own!

 

 All Men Have Original Sin. (Pasche, F.E.)

"That which is horn of the flesh is flesh." John 3:6.

Our nature is inclined to all that is evil. The carnal mind is enmity against God. This is original sin: the total depravity of our whole human nature. Original sin is indwelling, inherent in us. Though its guilt is removed by forgiveness and its power broken, it besets even believers all their days; only death will de­ stroy it in them.

Our very natures are totally sinful. It is of the utmost im­ portance to remember this: not only the heathen nature, the drun­ kard’s nature, but mine, ours, everybody’s, — all without exception are wanting before God’s Law, lacking every good impulse, but teeming with the seeds of a thousand heinous crimes. All men are conceived and born in sin; that is, they are all, from their mother’s womb, full of evil desires and propensities, and this is the fountain- head of all other, or actual, sins.

Many deny original sin; but the Bible tells us clearly: “As by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5,12. Every man is a reeking mass of corruption. His whole soul is by nature so debased and so depraved that no description which can be given of him can fully tell how base and vile he is.

This awful truth is no discovery of human reason, it is a ray of divine revelation enlightening our ignorance. As the Smalcald Articles say: “This hereditary sin is so deep and horrible a corrup­ tion of nature that no reason can understand it, but it must be learned and believed from the revelation of Scripture. It is the clear doctrine of our Savior, for He says: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". It is the clear doctrine of His Apostle Paul; for he writes: ‘By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners,’ and again: ‘By the offense of one, judg­ ment came upon all men to condemnation.’ ” All men are con­ ceived and born in iniquity and sin.

Prayer.

O eternal, gracious, and bountiful God in heaven, who hast, out of boundless grace and fatherly care, suffered me to live to this day in good health and in good spirits, I thank Thee for this unmerited love and kindness from my whole heart. Since, alas! I did not spend my life to Thy praise and honor and to the welfare of my neighbor, my perverted nature being inclined to all evil rather than to good, grant, I beseech Thee, O faithful God, that I, who was conceived in sin, may realize my frailty and partake of Thy divine grace. Amen.

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched, 

Weak and wounded, sick and sore! 

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity, like of yore;

He is able,

He is willing; doubt no more.

 DAILY READINGS IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

March 3. Obedience

"Whatsoever He saith unto you — do it." John 2:5

"Whatsoever He saith." We belong to Christ because He has redeemed us. He is our only Lord and Master.

"Whatsoever He saith." We may not choose some of His commands for obedience and some for neglect, inattention, or rejection. We are not to do only the pleasant things He bids us to do, and leave undone the things that are not according to our own taste and feeling. We are to do even the things that cost pain and personal sacrifice. It was thus that Jesus Himself did the will of His Father. That will took Him to His cross; but He did not shrink from accepting it, when He saw the way growing dark before Him, or when He felt the thorns under His feet and the burdens increasing unto crushing weight upon His shoulders. If we would walk in His steps — our obedience must be complete.

"Whatsoever He saith." But how can we know what He says? We cannot hear His voice as the servants at the wedding heard it. He speaks now in His Word, and the reverent heart may always hear what He says, as the sacred pages are prayerfully pondered. He speaks in the conscience that is kept tender by loyal obeying. He speaks in the providence that brings duty to our hand. There never is any real uncertainty as to what He says — if we are truly intent on knowing His will.

"Whatsoever He saith unto you  — DO it!" It is the doing that is important. We should never ask questions nor make suggestions when Jesus has spoken; the one thing for us is obedience. We should never ask what the consequences may be, what it may cost us — we are simply to obey. Christ knows why He wants us to do the thing, and that should be reason enough for us.