Honor Your Father and Mother

Taken from EliYah's Home Page

Children, Turn Your Hearts!

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Related Studies:

Fathers | Husbands | Mothers | Wives | Children

Before I begin, I would like to say that there may be some scriptures that are a little difficult for young children to understand. I would like to encourage the parents reading this to go over those scriptures with their children and answer all the questions that they have. With that it mind, let's begin:

Proverbs 30:11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 

Indeed, this scripture speaks well of this generation. In a time where it is even considered funny when children dishonor their parents, we very much need to get back to looking at what Yahweh says He expects of children. 
This study will be brief, but is very important for children to hear and understand. As important as it is for Fathers to turn their hearts to their children, part of the EliYah message is for children to turn their hearts to their Fathers:

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Children, can you see how important it is for you to turn your heart to your father? Yahweh will smite the earth with a curse when it has children who will not turn their heart to their father. What does it mean for a child to turn their heart to their father? Let's read what Solomon wrote to his son:

Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Solomon was a very wise man. He knew how important it was to raise his children to know Yahweh and do what is right. Children, your father has also been given the job of teaching you to know Yahweh and do what is right. It is very important that you pay close attention to what he says, especially when he instructs and corrects you:

Proverbs 13:1 A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

A scorner is someone who will not listen. You do not want to be a scorner, you want to be wise and hear your father's instruction and teaching. You see, this life is like walking through a large maze where there are many wrong turns a person can make. If you stay on the straight path where Yahweh wants you to be, you can be a wise son. Your parents have been through the maze already and have probably made some wrong turns. They want you to avoid those bad things and stay on the right path.

Can you imagine a ship sailing without a pilot? The ship would go wherever the wind took him because it had nobody who knew where the dangerous rocks and rivers were. That ship would likely run into big trouble and sink. That's what it is like when children will not listen to their parents direction. It is very foolish for children to not listen to their pilot:

Proverbs 15:5 A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. 

Oh, how important it is for children to pay very close attention to the words of their parents! They love you and want to guide you to be wise children. 
Wise children
Yahweh's will for you is to be wise children. What are some of the things that wise children do? Let's look at what scripture says about wise children:

 Proverbs 10:5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. 

So we see that wise children are willing to work when told and are not lazy. If you are like lazy children who sleep or play when it is time to work, you can bring much shame to your parents. Solomon warned his son:

Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, 8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. 9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep -- 11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. 

Working is a part of life. We are expected by Yahweh to work and it is important that we learn this early in life. 
Another thing scripture says wise children do is keep Yahweh's law:

Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 
Proverbs 28:7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father. 

Wise children keep Yahweh's law and do not want to be friends with those who are unwise. Wise children know how important it is to be friends with the wise:

Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Wise children do not want to be destroyed, so they do what wise men do and make friends with the wise. Solomon warned his son also about being friends with foolish people:

Proverbs 23:19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. 20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. 22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. 

So it is very important for you to be guided by your parents, who are wise and were children at one time just like you. Yahweh thought it was so important that you do this, that He included this in the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which Yahweh thy Elohim giveth thee. 

And he repeats Himself on this:

Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am Yahweh your Elohim. 

When you honor your parents, you can be given a long life. The Apostle Paul said that this is the first commandment with a promise:

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in Yahweh: 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. 

So it is very wise to honor your father and mother, and very foolish to dishonor them:

Proverbs 28:24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
Deuteronomy 27:16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. 
Proverbs 20:20 Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. 
Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. 
Proverbs 19:26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach. 

So we see that there are some very strong warnings given by Yahweh about dishonoring or cursing your father or mother. You need to be very very careful about dishonoring them in any way, for Yahweh used them to bring you into this world. Without them, you would not even exist. In the law of Yahweh, rebellious children were put to death:

Deuteronomy 21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. 

Yahweh wanted others to learn from the example of what happens to disobedient children. Children of Yahweh, be wise! Be a blessing to your father and your mother. Love to honor and obey them and not only will you be blessed, you will bring them much joy:

Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. 

Be not foolish, be wise!

Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.
Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
Proverbs 17:21 He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy. 
Proverbs 15:20 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
Proverbs 29:3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance. 
Proverbs 23:24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. 

Not only will you please your father and mother, but you will please Yahweh also:

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto Yahweh. 

So give them the honor Yahweh desires and watch the blessings of Yahweh rain down upon you. 

Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 
Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Proverbs 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 

So, dear children put away any foolish pride and turn your hearts to your fathers and bless them. Ask your parents to guide your life. You will be glad you did, and it will save you from a lot of trouble. 

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them": 2 While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain; 3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; 4 When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low; 5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. 7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to Elohim who gave it. 

So then, remember Yahweh and seek wisdom! Love your father who provides for you and your mother who nursed and cares for you! You do not need to honor them because they have been perfect, but you honor them because of who they are. They are your mother and father. Then they will rejoice, and you will too. Then they will declare that you are a wise son or daughter. Then you will find life and Yahweh will look upon you with favor. Then you can praise Yahweh, for all the glory we receive should be given back to Him. That is a picture of a wise child, one that loves Yahweh, one whose heart is turned to their father.
May Yahweh bless you all!

I Follow Christ and Him Alone!

Calvan and Augustine were staunch Catholics and persecutors of Christians in their day.  Augustine never left the Catholic church and Calvin based all his writings on Augustine.  We need to be careful and prayerful over following the writings of men.

 When someone calls themselves by the names of these men they are endorsing what those men believed.  Unfortunately most people who are following these men have not studied their theology enough to know that they were the persecutors of the church in their day.  Or, they have been spoon fed certain things they like about the men, ignoring their Catholic bent.  

It is a sin to say "I follow Calvin or I follow Augustine."  We should be saying I follow Christ.   Many Calvinists don't realize that when we are "returning" to the teachings of these men we are returning to Catholicism.  Those who have never been in the Catholic church think that Augustine and Calvin were "Christian patriarchs."  They were not, they were Catholic through and through.  Many of their teachings were counter to the gospel in terms of a work oriented, keeping of the sacraments religion.

It is also disturbing to me that the use of the word "sacraments" has been growing within Christendom in the past 40 years.  This is an effort on the part of some to meld together all denominations with Catholicism.  If Satan can blur the lines between Christianity and the Catholic church we are well on our way to the one world religion.  

The papacy has worked hard in the last 60 years to meld all religions of the world.  Calvinism is one of the most insidious ways that Satan has used to confuse and deceive believers.  

Another tactic used by these two staunch Catholics was to claim that the promises that the Lord made to Israel have been done away with and the church is now recipient of them.  This is the silliest of all doctrines.  God spent the entire old testament promising things to the Jews that were for no one else but them.  Many of these promises have been fulfilled and some are yet to be fulfilled.  It makes no sense to me that God would put up with all of us as believers sending His Son to die for us inspite of us and then claim that the Jews were so bad that God would no longer keep His promises to them.  God does not break promises because of our unfaithfulness.  God is always faithful and He always keeps His promises.  Hallelujah!!!  

All of Israel will return to Christ during the tribulation, they will be the last vestage of Christianity on the earth and will be the ones from which the witnesses come.   God has "loved them with an everlasting love."  He said so, I believe Him.  

Should Forgiveness Be Unconditional by Dan Vander Lugt

Should forgiveness be unconditional?

People often have the impression that the Bible requires forgiveness to be unconditional.¹ But the Bible doesn't say that. It tells us that we should "Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13). While God's forgiveness is undeserved, it certainly isn't unconditional. The Lord's forgiveness is offered only to those who confess their sin and repent (2 Chronicles 7:14; Leviticus 26; Luke 13:3; 1 John 1:8-10).

On the surface, it might seem noble to forgive unconditionally. But unconditional forgiveness is usually motivated more by fear than by love. And because of this it's usually destructive. If a wife continues to forgive a habitually unfaithful and abusive husband unconditionally, her toleration of his behavior will probably result in even more abuse and disrespect. This kind of "unconditional" forgiveness expresses a determination to cling to the status quo. No matter how bad things are, this woman fears that things will probably get worse if she holds her husband accountable. Her passive acceptance of his behavior will probably encourage him to continue in his sin. Instead of her forgiveness being a helpful act of love, it is actually a violation of love that will hinder his growth toward Christlikeness.

Jesus' specific teaching about forgiveness in Luke 17:3-4 makes it clear that forgiveness should follow repentance:

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent," you shall forgive him.

Undeserved forgiveness and unconditional forgiveness are radically different. It takes courage and character to forgive those who repent and ask our forgiveness. If we forgive them, we expose ourselves to the risk of being hurt again. Their repentance doesn't earn our forgiveness in any way. They are still responsible for the harm they've done. But though their repentance doesn't make them deserving of our forgiveness, it makes them eligible. We can forgive them because of the example of forgiveness that God has given us in Christ (Matthew 18:21-35).

Unconditional forgiveness is an affront against justice and a denial of the significance of sin and its cruel effects. Undeserved forgiveness is an expression of divine love and the only basis of our hope for salvation.

In a flawed world, forgiveness shouldn't be given unconditionally. But we should always be willing to share the undeserved forgiveness we have received through Christ. We should be realistic in confronting our enemies, but we should also seek to love them and respond to them in a way that is ultimately in their best interest.

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1. In Matthew 5:38-47, Jesus made three radical statements. First, He said that a person should turn the other cheek when someone strikes him. Second, He declared that His followers should give those who sue them more than they are asking. And third, He said that a person who is conscripted by a Roman officer to carry a load for one mile should offer to go two. Does this mean that we shouldn't defend ourselves when somebody attacks us? Is it our duty to let others take advantage of us? This couldn't have been Jesus' intention. After all, He counseled His disciples to be as "wise as serpents and as gentle as doves" (Matthew 10:16). His well-known "golden rule" (Matthew 7:12) contains the clear implication that we shouldn't encourage people to do something that would harm their character (like abuse others, steal, etc.). Back To Article 

Dan Vander Lugt

Homemaking: The Higher Calling

One of the concepts that has been lost in our culture has been that of the differing roles between men and women.  One role is not greater than another role, just different.  The woman had a lot of power in her home before she decided to step out of her God ordained role as keeper of the home.  She had the power to make or break a home based on her attitude toward her job.  


A woman who does her job well, manages the home as a CEO would manage a company.  The husband is the leader and depends on the capabilities of his wife to run an efficient environment.  


Within that role the wife plans meals, teaches the children, arranges for the cloths for all the family, handles personalities according to God's standards.  She also see to it that nothing enters her home that would be harmful to her family.  She maintains a clean, safe, nurturing and training environment.  Her husband has great confidence in her ability to do this.  She is a decorator, a nurse, a nutritionist, a manager of all the goods and food that enter the home.  She is a gardener, a chef, a counselor, a teacher, and a shopper for the best deals for the greatest quality, she will also be a seamstress.  She is an office manager in the paperwork, the planning of finances, organization of the home office.  She even makes articles and sells them.   


If a woman were to do this job for a wealthy family, earning a wage, she would be said to have a great career.  If she does this for her family without a paycheck, she is said to be a "housewife."  Our culture is silly, when it comes to this, we have denigrated the homemaking career to the position of worthless.  


Most women today in our children's generation don't bother with "managing" their homes, they work outside of it and neglect all the duties that God ordained for them to do, in favor of the almighty dollar and for recognition in the community.  These women go into the world to work under the authority of another person, very often a man and must obey that person to keep their job.  Why then do they call themselves independent and refuse to place themselves under their husbands at home. 


 If a woman does her job of Homemaking as unto the Lord she will  be fulfilled and happy.  Her skills will far exceed those of a woman who does one kind of job outside the home, under restrictions by her boss as to how creative she can be on the job.  At home, I have had wonderful freedom to use whatever skills God has given me, I have never been bored.  


If we are focused on living the Proverbs 31 life as God ordained, we can be much more creative, do it in our own schedule and enjoy the smiles of a husband who feels loved by a woman who will dedicate her entire life to her children and husband.  God placed the woman under the authority of the husband, it is not different than working outside the home under another man or woman who gives you a paycheck, except that God is not pleased with our dedication being to another authority, who is not our husband.  


We are to be devoted to our families, they are always to come first in all our decisions. We must realize and admit that we can not do this if our loyalties are divided.  We tend to admire a missionary who gives up a career to go to the mission field, but we mock a woman who has chosen to obey God and do the same thing for her family.  If we live life, God's way, we will not only be fulfilled but we will have all our needs taken care of.... did we all hear that.... our needs, not wants but needs.  And, I am living proof that we can do this job and be happy and fulfilled.  


We will have difficulties in life, we will make mistakes and commit sins, but if we stay the course, correcting the mistakes and repenting from the sins, God will bless what He knows to be in our heart.  A heart like David’s, a heart that seeks God.  We too can be called the apple of His eyes, as He overlooks our frail humanness to see the Holy Spirit that lives in us and the heart that loves Him.  Ladies, if you are working in the world, go home, dedicate your life to your family and watch the blessing God will have for you as you obey Him.