Practical Ways to Honor Your Parents

My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. Keep their words always in your heart.

–Proverbs 6:20–21 NLT

How do we honor our parents, as God commanded in Exodus 20:12? We obey the fifth commandment in different ways at different stages in our lives.

As children, we honor our parents by obeying them. Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Notice the boundary “in the Lord.” If parents ask their child to do something illegal or immoral, then Acts 5:29 applies: “We must obey God rather than men.” As long as we live in our parents’ homes and depend on them financially, we are to obey them in accordance with God’s Word.

Genesis 2:24 says, “A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” God’s plan is for children eventually to leave the home, but moving out doesn’t end our relationship with our parents. As young adults, we honor our parents by respecting them. Proverbs 6:20–23 says, “My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life” (NLT). If you’re making a major decision about your finances, career, or marriage partner, seek your parents’ advice. God may lead you in a different direction, but you can respect your parents by asking for their guidance.

Finally, as older adults, we honor our parents by supporting them. Sometimes that support is financial. In 1 Timothy 5, Paul said if a widow has a financial need, it is her family’s responsibility to provide for her. He added in verse 8, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” We can also support our parents emotionally. If you want to honor your aging parents, call them. Invite them to family events. Make sure they know that they’re still an important part of your life.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Fifth Commandment: Honor Your Parents” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2023.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org; Scripture quotation marked (NLT) taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.