My dear readers,

(Excerpts from Building Firm Foundations, Dr SH Tow / Daily Remembrancer)

1. Honour thy father and thy mother

Coming from a traditional upbringing, I have observed with amusement (and amazement) some Western young people addressing their parents by their first names. Words like "Daddy" and "Mummy" seem to have been removed from their vocabulary. This sort of practice, I am told, is encouraged by progressive and liberal minded parents. Whatever the truth of the matter, such behaviour to conservative Easterners is disrespectful if not outrageous. Culture aside, it is contrary to Biblical teaching.

At the heart of the Ten Commandments is the Fifth: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Ex 20:12). Honour implies respect to one who rightfully deserves it. Parents deserve respect from children for all that they mean to them. From parents children receive life, loving care and nurture, education and a whole host of good things. Next to God, parents stand in the place of authority – in the place of God – and therefore deserve the highest honour and esteem from their children.

How can children honour their parents? "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right" (Eph 6:1). Respect and esteem them highly (even if they are not as well educated as you!) Love them, for they first loved you! Do all these, while parents are alive. Show kindness and love before they are gone, or too old to be able to enjoy your kindness. Give them some of the comforts of life which they lavished on you before.

This story comes from China. In the cold northern winter, houses had no heating. Ming was only seven years old. He lived with his widowed Mother. How he longed to repay Mother for her hard work and tender care in looking after him. An idea came to his little head. "There is not much that I can do for Mother, but I can warm her bed for her. Then when she comes to bed it will be nice and warm." So little Ming crept into Mother's bed between the bed clothes and with his little body he made the bed comfortable and warm. Imagine the lovely reception which Mother got at bedtime! Such a meaningful act warmed not only Mother's bed but more. It warmed her heart to know that her boy was grateful and appreciative of her love.

Young reader, there are ways of expressing your love for your parents. Doing them honour carries a promise of blessing. Will you act on it?

2. Caring for parents

How should we treat aged parents? In Jesus’ day there were those religious hypocrites who evaded their filial duty by pretending that their money was committed to God's work and thus they coolly neglected their aged parents. The truly converted Christian would do otherwise, considering the debt he owes to his parents which can never be adequately repaid.

A Chinese proverb says, "When you drink water think of the source." We owe our success to our parents. We who are well established in life, with good jobs and careers, can look back almost without exception to an earlier day when our parents made us what we are today. Some will recall how fathers sweated and mothers sacrificed in order to send us to school. Think of their unstinting devotion, lavish affection and unceasing concern when we were totally helpless, useless, dependent creatures, more a nuisance than anything else. Yet they showered us with love and kisses, attention and kindness, day after day, year after year, until we left the family nest.

But now they are of no more use to us, more an inconvenience than a source of goodness. Now they are burdensome, troublesome, old and decrepit castoffs, fit to be dumped at some old folks' home. Is this how we regard aged parents? God forbid! We see Joseph the model filial son. He had been separated from his family for almost 20 years. He had risen to become the Prime Minister of a great country. He had his own family and was comfortably settled. He could well have said, Out of sight out of mind!

Not Joseph! He remained the same loving son. His father had arrived after a long trip. He greeted him with tears and kisses. The same treatment was accorded to his wicked brothers. "And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families" (Gen 47:12). Let our sons resolve and aspire to be like Joseph. Surely in this day of return to Biblical Christianity, filial love and piety will also see a revival.

A young graduate in his first year gave half his monthly pay packet to his retired parents. In his second year he presented them with a car. These were merely token repayments of their love. God sees and God repays!

Lord, implant the seed of filial love in my heart.

3. Doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph 6:6)

(Daily Remembrancer August 5, Evening)

GOD’S WILL IS BEST AND PERFECT. To know and to do, is every man’s supreme duty and delight. The will of God concerning a sinner is, that he should believe Him, love Him, obey Him. His will concerning a believer is, that he should reverence His authority, receive His word and observe His precepts. God's preceptive will revealed in the New Testament is plain, and that is to be the rule of our conduct. Here is a duty to be performed, to do the will of God: to do it, though it excite the opposition of our fellow men, though it cross our natural inclinations. We are to do the Father's will, to perform the Master's command, to keep our Sovereign's laws, to obey our Saviour's precepts. The manner in which that will is to be done is also pointed out: from the heart. As every evil proceeds from the heart depraved by sin, so every good thing proceeds from the heart renewed by grace. "Doing the will of God from the heart," that is, not by constraint but willingly, from the heart, that is, from conviction, from love; we should do it heartily, throwing all our energies into it. Beloved, are you seeking to know the will of God? Are you willing to do it from the heart?

Be Christ my pattern and my guide,

His image may I bear;

O may I tread His sacred steps,

And His bright glories share!

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service,

Dr SH Tow, Sr Pastor