📖 A Thought from My Personal Meditation (Exodus 20:12–13)
Today, while meditating on Exodus chapter 20, I was reminded of two commandments that speak directly about our relationships with other people.
The first one says:
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”
Exodus 20:12
The Bible gives great importance to honouring our parents.
As I read this commandment, I had to stop and examine my own life.
I cannot simply read this commandment and think about whether other people are obeying it. I need to ask myself:
Am I truly honouring my parents as God expects me to?
To be honest, I still struggle in this area.
There have been times when I have argued with my parents, spoken to them without the respect they deserve, or allowed my own thoughts and opinions to become more important than the honour I should show them.
I also need to examine my relationship with my spouse’s parents. Do I honour them as I should?
The Word of God has shown me that this is not merely a social responsibility. Honouring our parents is part of our obedience to God.
Lord, I repent.
Please forgive me for the times I have failed to honour my parents as I should. Whether they are my own parents or my spouse’s parents, help me to show them the honour and respect that Your Word commands.
The next commandment says:
“You shall not murder.”
Exodus 20:13
I may not have physically murdered anyone. But when I examine my own life more deeply, I realize that this commandment also challenges me in another area.
- Do I speak evil about others when they are not present?
- Do I tell others things about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation?
- Do I repeat things that I do not even know to be true?
- Do my words hurt people and destroy their image in the minds of others?
I have to admit that I still struggle in this area too.
Sometimes, through my words, I may have damaged the reputation of others. Sometimes I may have spoken about people when they were not present. And sometimes, I may have said things that I should not have said.
Lord, I repent.
Please forgive me for every word that has hurt others, damaged their reputation, or brought dishonour to them.
Jesus taught us that anger and hatred against a brother or sister are serious matters before God. Therefore, this commandment is not only about physically taking someone’s life. We must also examine whether our words and attitudes are destroying the lives, peace, dignity, and reputation of others.
The Word of God is like a mirror.
It does not merely help me examine other people. It helps me examine my own heart.
Today, I do not want to read these commandments and think, “This is for someone else.”
I want to stand before God and say:
“Lord, search me. Show me where I am failing. Forgive me, change me, and help me to obey Your Word.”
Lord, help me to honour my parents. Help me to control my tongue. Help me not to speak evil about others. Help me to speak the truth in love and to use my words to build people up rather than destroy them.
I cannot change myself by my own strength.
I need the grace of God and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in my life.
Lord, I repent. Please forgive me and transform me. Help me to live according to Your Word.
Have a blessed day!
God bless you all.
— Hineni Life | hinenilife.com/