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People of Faith Honored their Parents

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Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 5:16)

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Today is Parents' Day the day that we especially express a heart of thanks to our parents for giving birth to us. Please express your thanks to them by pinning on a carnation onto their clothing.

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God commands us that we should obey the words of our parents and honor them. Order must be obeyed.

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Which blessing does God give people who obey the commands of God?

The people who honor and obey their parents may have a good long life.

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In the Bible, there were many people who received the promise of God as a reward because of living out the words of God. We are going to meet a few of these people in the Bible today.

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At first, I would like to introduce a pastor named Timothy.

He was the great pastor who Paul called his son.

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The Bible says that he did not have any lies in his heart.

And he had great faith that pleased God. How could he have such faith?

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Apostle Paul said to Timothy in the Bible, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which was first lived out in your Grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."(2 Timothy 1:5)

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In his childhood Timothy obeyed the words of his grandmother and mother and followed as they taught. He learned well the words of God which they taught him and he tried to have faith like them.

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God made Timothy, who honored his mother and his grandmother and tried to learn the faith, become a great pastor. If we serve our parents and are faithful people who follow the faith, God will make us into great people, too!

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Joseph and David were used greatly and they both had a common characteristic.

They both served well without complaining even though they went through difficult situations.

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The brothers of Joseph would often go to graze their father's flocks near Shechem. His father, Jacob wondered if they were well and ordered Joseph to go check on them.

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However, it was about a 100 km distance from the house of Joseph to Shechem.

Joseph served well his father's errand without complaint.

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The brothers of David went to war with Israel as soldiers to fight with the Philistines. His father, Jesse wondered if they were well and ordered David to go check on them as well.

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The battlefield is a very dangerous place.

But David obeyed as his father had said without complaint.

He took food and sent it to his brothers as his father ordered.

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God promoted both Joseph and David who honored their parents.

Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt, the greatest country of that time.

David became a great king of Israel.

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The people who obey their visible parents will be obedient to the invisible God, too. Therefore, I hope that you will obey your parents' words like Timothy, Joseph, and David so God will lift you high.