AUGUST 13, Colossians 3:20

10-year-old Shirley is sitting on the couch watching her favourite cartoon Lilo and Stitch. Mum is leaving the house to go to the market. Before leaving, she instructs Shirley to spend not more than another half an hour watching TV and then to do her homework and practise the piano in preparation for her Grade 4 piano exams. As she is engrossed with the TV and is eager to have mum out of the house so she will not be disturbed, she replies, “Yes, yes, Mum.” But she has not paid much attention to what mum has said. After mum has left, the TV is everything to her. She uses the remote control to switch from channel to channel, watching one program after another.

After an hour and a half, there is the sound of the door opening and mum has returned home lugging bags of groceries. She is fuming mad when she sees Shirley still watching the TV. Putting the bags in the kitchen and then storming to the TV set, she switches off the machine. Shirley is stunned as well as unhappy, shouting, “Mum, what are you doing? That is the best part of the show.” With that, she uses the remote control to turn the TV back on. This time, Mum plucks out the plug from the socket and the TV turns dead. Now the look on Shirley’s face turns defiant, and without a word, she strides into her room.

Dear child, are you ever defiant towards your parents? Don’t and never! The opposite of defying is obeying. Obeying our parents is the law of the 5th Commandment. The great duty of children is to obey their parents and it involves an inward reverence as well as the outward expression and acts. It is the order of nature as determined by God that parents command and children obey. Though this may be a hard saying, yet it is a duty and those children who want to please the Lord will do it.

Thought: Have you been defying your parents’ orders? Think of those things you have done that are defiant and stop them now!

Prayer: Thank you Heavenly Father for today’s reminder that I must never disobey mum or dad. I must never be defiant by talking back or staring at them. Forgive me and change me to love and obey my parents. TIn Jesus’ name I pray Amen.