April 25, 2025

The Fifth Commandment of Marriage: Honor Your Spouse by Showing How Grateful You Are

The fifth commandment gives us our next principle for a healthy and vibrant marriage. It is found in Exodus 20:12,

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”

Among other things, God is saying we must be grateful. Generally, parents spend a lot of time, labor, and money…sometimes to the point of radical sacrifice…to give their kids an edge in life.

And it is a tragedy when a child is ungrateful or unthankful. William Shakespeare said, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” It is very difficult to have a relationship with an ungrateful, selfish person.

“Thank you” are important words to your parents, and an incredibly important phrase in marriage. It is difficult to live with someone who takes you and all of your efforts for granted.

You may be thinking, “I don’t say it, but I am grateful in my heart. I truly am!” Well, hooray for you. You are blessed because in your heart you know you are grateful. But it does your spouse no good if you do not vocalize it.

If you do not demonstrate your gratitude, I doubt if you are really grateful because Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” If it is not being expressed, chances are it is not truly there.

Maybe you think you don’t have a lot to be grateful for. But there must be something you can say “thank you” for. There is something you can praise your mate for. Look for those things, and accentuate the positive.

Take time today to express thanks to your spouse in some way…through an action, through a card, through words. That is how you honor your mate.

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