Has Honor Lost Its Way?

If I see one of our brave uniformed servicemen or servicewomen, I am quick to thank them for their service. I do the same for police officers, firefighters, and other first responders. In fact, I express gratitude to those at my church who hold the door open for me.

Romans 13:7 says: “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, HONOR to whom HONOR is owed.”

Obviously, honor isn’t an idea I created. It is a God-idea! When asked what the Bible says about honor, most people think of the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)

And, in 1 Peter 2:17, we read “honor everyone”. Yes, everyone. Not just our parents or those in positions of authority or the people who can help us get ahead in life — we are called to honor everyone. Really? Everyone?

God created each one of us, and He said everything He made is “very good” (Genesis 1:31). So, when we honor those around us, we are acknowledging that every person has a soul and that a soul is a priceless gift of God.

When we show honor to anyone – our mother, our lawn person, a delivery person, and even the homeless guy we usually drive past in the morning — we are recognizing and respecting God’s creation.

When we open our eyes to others, we are saying to God, “You are amazing! I love You and everything You have created.” By honoring the person(s), we are showing God we recognize the value of the one He made. That is what honor does. It recognizes a person’s worth.

In the Bible, honor was important in determining the person’s value to the community. Their worth was decided by the community. For example, if they had no honor, such as the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, they were discarded by society.

But….Jesus! I love the picture of Jesus stopping for water and asking her for a drink – intentionally! Here was a lost child that needed a new direction in life. He sure read her and her story. He honored her by lovingly showing her the errors of her ways and the beauty that He could bring to her.

This story is from John 4. I love how she took the honor that Jesus gave her. She ran to her hometown where she had been dishonored, and declared: “He told me everything I ever did.” The Samaritans became believers and “honored” her: “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

God sees the value in every person He made, and He wants us to do the same. I am inspired by my own blog today. I am reminded of the signs-holding, homeless people. It isn’t up to me to judge them and drive by callously.

I am asking the Holy Spirit to show me the worth of those around me and give me the humility to honor and serve them as Jesus did. I think I’ll start with making up some bags with a water bottle and a snack to give them. One of those homeless people just might be Jesus in disguise. And, I sure don’t want to miss honoring Him!