Thursday July 14, 2011 Back To The Basics 8

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Wow, sort of a break in the heat wave today and tomorrow, God is good. I do need to just stop and thank Him this morning for everything, just everything, including all of you, and also this line. Also on Saturday I am going to post an e-mail response from my dear Christian Brother John Henry Riddlesberger, who has responded to The Sabbath Day and keeping it Holy. So please watch for a special coming in on Saturday. Hey, it is Thursday and the day we pray for families and for our schools...

Back To The Basics Day 8: Exodus 20:12 - "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (NIV)

When I look back to the basics of honoring my father and mother while growing up on South 27th Street in Harrisburg, Pa., I can remember it going sometimes like this. My parents were very, very good God fearing parents who raised my brother and I up in the way of the Lord. One thing I do remember is how hard my dad could really hit, if I were to sass my mother. Again, pop never beat me, but he had one heck of a swing. Around our house that commandment might have read, honor your father and mother or "EAT SOAP". This commandment was very easy for me to follow because my mamma taught us not just to respect pop and her, but to also respect all adults. It was always Mr. or Mrs. unless the person was a pastor, and then it was Reverend Hertzler, or Doctor Snyder. I think it is so nice to hear our little neighbor girls, ages about 2.5 and 4 when they see me yelling, Hi Pastor Dan as their parents had asked me how I wanted addressed, and I told them either Pastor Dan or Santa, and the parents made the choice.

I do think that we, as parents and grandparents, can teach respect but to be able to teach it you must live to earn it. I used to have bus drivers who could not control their load of kids on the bus. They would say, "the kids show me no respect." And I would ask the driver this. "What have you done to earn their respect?" Want to earn the respect of the kids if you drive bus, start by saying Good Morning to each one as they board the bus, and before you open the door to let them off at school, just get their attention and tell them... Have a nice day. In the afternoon when they got on the bus you say hello or how was your day, and when you discharge them at home, say to them, Have a nice night. A few nice kind words go a lot along the way.

While God has commanded us to honor our father and mother, He did sort of put in a bribe, or prize so to speak... He said, "Honor your father and mother so that you might have long life in the land your Lord God is giving You." So now you know the secret of old age, you need to honor your parents. I can remember one day stopping by our house after school, one of the rare days off from work, for as a rule I went right from school to work at a Gulf Gas Station. I had picked up my steady at that time in my car and wanted to get my truck. When I stopped by the house my mother was on the back porch and said to me... Hi son, what are you up to, or something to that effect. I said, in a joking way, "none of your business" and I was joking and after I said it I was happy my dad did not hear it. But my steady at the time, a girl by the name of Karen Nunemaker, heard me, and walked up on the porch with my mamma... I said to her, come on, let's go, and she said I am not going with you until you say you're sorry to your mother... While I knew I was joking, I went up on the porch, put my arms around my mother and hugged her and said, sorry mamma.

Brothers and sisters, this is one commandment that all of us could be working on, and let's bring out the respect part of it. Respect for not just fathers and mothers but for teachers, and Sunday School teachers, preachers, doctors, and even at our age, and I am 70, we need to be showing respect to our police, our military, and all others around us. AND THAT INCLUDES THOSE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY NEAR YOU. But once again here is something that must be taught at home. If you raise up a child and they show no respect for you as a parent, how do you expect them to respect others? And of course parents need to give a child someone to respect and also respect them. Parents, you cannot expect to get the respect of your children if each night you are bringing home someone different to sleep with you. You get my point. Respect your mamma and poppa and all others, including our Lord Jesus.... Amen.

Dear Father in Heaven, I lost my mamma when I was young, but not a day goes by that I don't think about her. I loved her and my daddy then and still do. Each day as I get older, Lord, I get nearer to seeing them again. Lord, I also need to show you more and more respect and that means to me, Lord, and I need Your help on this, I must repent more and more of my sins, I must try harder to not be sinning and, Lord, living more and more for You. In the name of Jesus, I ask for help in this. Amen.

Now go forth sharing your blessings with others, and remember that it costs you nothing to share the respect to others that our Lord showed us on the cross... Even with all of our sins, He loved and respected us and honored us enough to die for us... and someone shouted AMEN.

Love ya, Pastor Dan.