The first four guidelines define how God wants us to show love for Him. This Fifth Guideline that tells us to honor our mother and father begins a series of six that show us how to love other people—starting from our earliest years in the family.
We should seek to honor our parents in much the same way that we strive to bring glory to God—in our thoughts, words, and actions. For a young child, obeying parents goes hand in hand with honoring them. That includes listening, heeding, and submitting to their authority. After children mature, the obedience that they learned as children will serve them well in honoring other authorities such as government, police, and employers.
Scriptures referenced include Jeremiah 35:18-19; Romans 12:10; Romans 13:1-2; Acts 4:19; and Colossians 4:6.
We know about some of the early Christian churches. Much of what we know is described in Revelation 2-3 which explores seven churches in Asia Minor that existed at the time that John the apostle was writing Revelation. Though they were literal churches in that time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. The first purpose of the letters was to communicate with the literal churches and meet their needs at that time. The second purpose was to reveal seven different types of individuals/churches throughout history and instruct them in God’s truth. John relayed to these churches messages that he received from Jesus. Today we explore the first two of these seven churches: Ephesus and Smyrna. Additional scriptures referenced include Acts 19:27; John 14:21, 23; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:13. ...
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul writes, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” In this verse, Paul reminds the younger man of the body of truth that he had heard from the Apostle in the presence of many others. Certainly, Timothy heard many Bible studies from Paul, and shared much time with the Apostle in personal discipleship. Through Paul, God gave truth to Timothy, not for him to keep to himself, but for him to pass on to others. Just as Timothy was entrusted to share the gospel with others, likewise we are called to teach others. We highlight ten passages of Scripture that speak to this point: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Timothy 4:13; Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6; Psalm 32:8; John 7:16-19; Luke 6:40; Titus 2:7-8; and James 1:5. Additional scriptures referenced include Isaiah 54:13; Romans 8:29; and 1 John 3:2. ...
Today’s Top Ten List are Ten Important Characters from the Book of Esther and they include specific people like King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), Esther, Mordecai, and Haman and groups of people like the eunuchs and the Jewish people. Scriptures referenced include Esther 10:3; Esther 1:10; Esther 1:16-17; 1 Samuel 15-21; Esther 7:9-10; and Esther 6:13. ...
