In Ephesians 6:1-4, the Apostle Paul sums up the commandment for children to honor your parents and parents to train up a child in the way of the Lord. "Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it." (Proverbs 22:6).

The first three verses are concentrated on the commandment to the children. The first, "obey your parents because you belong to the Lord..." If our place of employment requires us to wear certain clothes that show that we are a part of that business that is what we do. It '...is the right thing to do.' when we show that we are a part of the family of God when we honor our parents.

Verse 2 indicates where the commandment comes from. It is the first of the Ten Commandments, "that ends with a promise." The promise begins in verse 3 when it says, "If you honor your father and mother, "you will live a long life, full of blessing."" Not only blessings in a long life, but the long life as a blessing also.

It takes verses 1-3 to show the meaningfulness of the commandment to children, but in verse 4 to give the commandment to parents. All it says is to train your children, bring them up, in the ways the Lord approves.

It’s a commandment we should make a never ending cycle, passing on from generation to generation. And it should be this way because of His promise. We have that whole blessed lifetime to get it right. And once we pass it on, they too have a lifetime to pass it on, and so on and so on, with no breaks between each generation.

D.D.