“Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.” John 8:49
I had a conversation with someone this past week about honor, I said we are to have honor in everything, and he said honor had nothing to do with it. This is one of our largest problems in the world today, people rarely honor anything. God is not honored for the most part, marriage is not honored, parents are not honored, Pastors – churches- and Christians are also not honored, and etc, etc, etc. The list of things that should be honored can just continue and continue, however, honor is a rare thing these days. Jesus was accused of being a devil and Jesus response was “I have not a devil” and in this they dishonored our Saviour. To compare Jesus to the devil or even to say He possessed the devil was dishonoring to Him and His Father just as it would be to say a Christian is a devil or possess one. Jesus went on to say “but I honour my Father” even though He Himself was dishonored. As Christians we need to understand what the word honor means - to prize, that is, fix a valuation upon; by implication to revere” To prize something as valuable and to revere it, sounds like money doesn’t it, but it is not, while we are to honor much in our life outside of money. First we are to honor God; God should have the upmost prize, value, and is to be revered more than anything else in all creation. We live in a sad time because God is rarely truly honored in this world and even less honored in some forms of worship called churches. One cannot honor God if they do not serve and worship Him as Sovereign. Jesus said while they did not honor Him as the Son He honored His Father. We are to all worship them both as God because both are God. The Lord also told us multiple times that we are to honor our father and mothers. Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." This is the second most un-honored commandment in the scriptures outside of failing to honor God enough. I see children everywhere failing to honor their parents, this is a disgrace. We are to honor the Son Jesus Christ just as much as we would honor the Father. John 5:23 "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." I must ask this question “how can one honor either if the use either of their names in vain, which is something I hear even from a lot of preachers in pulpits. It would do us all well to study the definition of the word “vain” because there are a lot of folks who have no idea what it is. God said to honor the elders (that is ministers) but to them that teach TRUTH they are to be honored with double honor. 1 Timothy 5:17 “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.” Elders that teach truth will be the most dishonored in this world, this is why God told us to honor them double. I, like Christ Jesus have also been called a devil many times for preaching the truth. Last we are to honor all men; to honor everyone is a very rare thing today. People are too rude to honor others. This world is about “ME” and I am the only one who matters. This is sad and ungodly. 1 Peter 2:17 "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." That honor of all men includes loving the brotherhood which are the Christians among us but especially those of the household of faith with is the local church. We, as Christian’s need to take another look at honor and what God says about it. We need to make sure we measure up to what God expects of us. The world is worldly and they will never honor God or Christians for anything, but we who are of faith ought to know better.
