The Importance of Relating
Living Long – Part 1

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 5:17-22

Key Verse: Deuteronomy 5:16

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

My guess is that this month’s theme will be rather challenging to most of us.  Relating to my relations is often a greater challenge than relating to the non-relatives around me.  Our relatives are in our lives as a result of relationships rather than by our direct choices.  I can choose my friends, but our relatives have been “gifted” to us!

            If we don’t enjoy relating to our relatives what should we do as Christ followers?  Does God have an opinion of this situation?  Do you care what God’s opinion is and will you follow His directives?  These are some of the questions this series will be attempting to answer.  I saw a poll during this past Thanksgiving season that said 65% of Americans expected to have family disagreements during the holidays.  I am positive that some of these 65% were professed Christ followers.

            It certainly isn’t sinful to have family disagreements, but Satan is at the door during these conflicts, ready to exploit them and encourage sinful behavior if we allow it.  How we handle ourselves during these family disagreements is the only critical question we will deal with.  We can’t control our relatives, but we must control ourselves.  We can be right in our opinion, but wrong in our expressions of those opinions.  More tomorrow!

Father, you have called me to a higher level of living than those outside your family.  Help me to walk worthy.  I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.