Taking Care of Mom and Dad

# 319 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 22:3,4 Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me." 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. (1 Sam 22:3,4) David's parents are with him, but the lifestyle of a band of men on the run would not be fitting for his aging parents. What to do with mom and dad? David decides to take them to the land of his great-grandmother Ruth. There are definitely some familial ties here and there was no love lost between the king of Moab and Saul, so David feels confident that his mother and father will be safe. David has set an example for us that the Holy Spirit has reiterated in Eph 6:2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." This is what God the Father wants us to do for our parents! Give them an honorable place in our life. Because David honored his parents, he desired that they would be safe and well cared for. God so deeply desires us to do this, that He has attached a blessing to those who give honor to their parents! If that's not enough incentive for us to take proper care of our family members, the Holy Spirit gives us still another reason in 1Ti 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Those are strong words! Failure to provide for one's family is a denial of a fundamental mark of a Christian. Unbelievers have an excuse, we don't. We know the truth of God's Word and knowing it, we must act on it. Jas 4:17 says, “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” The time arrives for all of us in this matter of family care. Let us learn from David and always seek the best and safest care possible for our loved ones. Father, thank You for the gift of family. Let us treasure it and nurture it all of our days.