IN MANY WAYS, honor is all but lost in our Western culture. And if we’re not careful, the world’s
culture will creep into the church. The verses below describe a culture that has lost sight of honor.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1–4 (NLT)
1 . . . In the last days there will be very difficult times.
2 For people will love only themselves and their
money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.
4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
People today challenge everything. And with all our questioning, we’ve thrown honor right out the window. The most important thing Christians can do is to show honor.
Romans 14:8 (NLT) says, “If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord.” Paul also said in Philippians 1:20 (NLT), “I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, . . . And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.”
Let’s keep the main thing the main thing—let’s honor God in every aspect of our lives. Everything we do or say should reflect honor to God.
Honor One Another
Often people honor God but treat fellow Christians like dirt. HOW WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER REFLECTS HOW WE HONOR GOD. The Bible tells us how to honor others.
ROMANS 12:9–10 (NLT)
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring
each other.
Honor doesn’t mean agreeing with everything people do or decide. We can still honor someone even though we disagree with them.
“Everything we do or say should reflect honor to God.”
Honor Those in Ministry
When Jesus returned to His hometown, He was met with dishonor. People did not receive Him when He taught in the synagogue. To them, Jesus was just a carpenter.
MARK 6:2–5 (NLT)
2 . . . Many who heard [Jesus] were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”
3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”
5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
The people in Jesus’ hometown made the mistake of failing to honor Him and became offended. As a result, Jesus couldn’t do miracles there. Scripture doesn’t say He wouldn’t—it says He couldn’t.
Their dishonor led to disbelief, and their disbelief hindered Jesus’ ministry. If disbelief hindered His ministry, it can hinder any ministry today.
In our culture, people get offended at everything and everybody. Whatever others say to us, we ought to be filled with love. When we don’t walk in love, we respond adversely and get offended. And when we get offended, we move ourselves out of a position to receive.
We never want to be like those in Mark chapter 6. Jesus wanted to do so much more, but He couldn’t.
I believe some Christians’ prayers go unanswered due to a lack of honor. They have faith and make strong confessions, but they don’t honor others. They dishonor their spouse, fellow believers, and those in authority. But we must remember, failure to honor leads to failing to receive.
Editor’s Note: Bill Ray is a Rhema Bible Church associate pastor and a Rhema
Bible Training College instructor.
Author
Bill Ray
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