Devotions with Nell Ritchey

When my oldest son’s children were small, he told me, “The first Bible verse I’m teaching my kids is ‘Children, obey your parents.’”

I teased him a little, saying, “Michael, that’s not the first verse you teach children. The first verse you teach children is ‘God is love.’”

“Nope,” he said. “The first verse I’m teaching them is ‘Children, obey your parents.’ Because if they will obey me, I can teach them anything they need to know. If they don’t obey me, I can’t teach them anything.”

Those children are grown now, and a joy to all who know them. In learning to obey their parents, they learned to obey God as well as their earthly authorities, and have avoided many pitfalls that have befallen their peers.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we, the followers of Christ, could embrace obedience?

The longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, is all about the Word of God – His law, His testimonies, His precepts, His ways, His rules, His commandments, His promises, His statutes. More than that, though, this psalm is about the author’s relationship with God’s Word. Frankly, he loves it! He begins by saying, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!” And in verse 11 we find the familiar, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” And verse 15: “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Goodness! I would love to quote the whole Psalm. But it IS the longest chapter in the Bible.

I believe those who learn obedience at the feet of the parents are the most fortunate, because that training is transferable to God and His Word. But for those who didn’t learn it as a child, it’s not too late. My advice would be to spend a little time in Psalm 119 and learn to rejoice in obedience to God.
Nell Ritchey