Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. (Ex. 20:12)

A MISSIONARY FRIEND of author Warren Wiersbe decided she needed to come home from the field to care for her sick and elderly parents. Severely criticized by some of her associates, she heard statements such as, “We should love God more than our father and mother!” She ignored their disapproval and remained steadfast in her care for her ailing parents until the end. She then returned to her place on the field for many more years of fruitful service, knowing she had obeyed God.

Her critics took Jesus’ words out of context, chose to ignore one of the Ten Commandments, and then taunted the one who obeyed God. How we treat others today, especially our parents, will help determine how we’re treated tomorrow. The universal principle of reaping what we sow applies to all that we do.

After all, we are known by how we love God’s people and understand His concern for the elderly, especially those in our immediate family. Too many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them. They pick and choose the commands they will obey. The wonderful missionary above who honored her father and mother proved her Bible marked her. May we follow her example and allow His precious Word to make a difference in our lives today.

Listen to God’s Word and do what it says, and you will be blessed.

Susan Browning Schulz is a wife and active mom of three grown children. She lives riverside in northwest Georgia and loves leading her small group.