“But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor but in his own country, among his kin, and his own house. And he could do no mighty work, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick folks and healed them.” Mark 6:4-5
Honor is a prime word in the scripture. Right from immediately after Jesus was anointed of the spirit, and He spoke of the same in His hometown, we see the very first instance of dishonor in the scriptures (Luke 4:18-30). They took Him as common. They wanted to kill Him. It’s quite instructive that they received Him the very next place He went (Capernaum), and He cast out demons there. In the passage, He also gave instances of two non-Jews in the Old Testament that received from prophet Elijah and Elisha’s ministry because they had regard for them.
This cast my mind back to the story of Hannah and Eli (1 Samuel 1:12-17). Eli was mistaken. He prejudged her wrongly, yet she responded most courteously ever. She spoke with reverence and accorded the man of God due respect. Whichever way you consider it, the pronunciation of that man of God was instrumental to Hannah getting her request. Hannah honored Eli. She did not think twice about it but gave honor to whom honor was due.
Romans 13:7 says, “Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:13, Paul instructs that the minister be highly esteemed in love for their work’s sake. He says something similar in 1 Timothy 5:17 ‘count them worthy of double honor.’ Peter gives instruction on honor; ‘Honor all men. “Love the brotherhood. Fear God and Honor the King” (1 Peter 2:17). It’s no gainsaying that honor is a major theme of the scripture. But what does honor has to do with walking in victory? Everything! First, what is honor? Honor means to treat as sacred and special, to hold in high esteem, and to accord proper regard. It means to revere or to defer to, to prefer someone or something above others.
For God’s word to work in our lives, we must give it its due place. It wouldn’t be something we chant or consider when we have challenges but as our everyday companion. God’s word must be given first place. Listen carefully to what I say. Pay attention to my words. Don’t let them out of your sight. Keep them deep within your heart because they bring life and healing to your body (Proverbs 4:20-22). Honoring God’s word is like building a foundation for a house. Just as a strong foundation is essential for any sturdy structure, honoring God’s word provides us with the solid groundwork we need to build our lives and face any challenges that may come our way. Amen. Psalm 62:7 says, “On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you because it gives me life, and I live by the same. So today, I give your word first place in my heart and hold it in high esteem above all other opinions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
