I love my daughter Anna's description. She said, "it means to act kind and loving towards someone, and pray for them, even when they are getting on your last nerve."
Sadly, I think American society is lacking in honor. Even the church and the home are missing this crucial element. I am speaking personally on this--I wish we exhibited more honor within my own immediate family.
But as a society, we no longer seem to respect our elders, or extend kindness to others, or greet strangers on the street. We have become an individualistic, me-centered culture.
But what does God say about honor? Here are just a few of the verses we came across:
Pro 3:9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;
Pro 3:10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Pro 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.
Pro 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Pro 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.
Pro 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor.
Pro 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.
Pro 29:23 A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
Isa 29:13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
Isa 29:14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."
Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Lev 19:32 'You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.
Mal 2:2 "If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name," says the LORD of hosts, "then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.
Luk 14:10 "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.
Joh 5:22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
Joh 5:23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Rom 12:11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Rom 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
Rom 12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
1Ti 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1Ti 5:3 Honor widows who are widows indeed;
1Pe 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
Pro 3:10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Pro 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.
Pro 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Pro 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.
Pro 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor.
Pro 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.
Pro 29:23 A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.
Isa 29:13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
Isa 29:14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."
Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Lev 19:32 'You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.
Mal 2:2 "If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name," says the LORD of hosts, "then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.
Luk 14:10 "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.
Joh 5:22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
Joh 5:23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Rom 12:11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
Rom 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
Rom 12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
1Ti 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1Ti 5:3 Honor widows who are widows indeed;
1Pe 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
What is your definition of "honor"? What are some insights you have on this topic? Any other verses to share?
4 comments:
Kiki,
Thanks for your kind comments on my blog. I always appreciate your insights and sensitivity to others and their needs. I wanted to share a couple of additional verses on honor. David's prayer in 1 Chron. 29:10-19 is one of the most beautiful in the Scriptures I think. Verse 12 in this passage says, "Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone."
A second passage is in 2 Chron. 1:11-12 where God commends Solomon for not asking for riches, wealth, honor, vengeance on his enemies, or even a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge to rule well. In return, God promises to grant him riches and wealth and honor like none who have gone before him nor any who will follow.
I think to honor someone is to show respect for that person .. for that respect to manifest itself in your life. It involves, for me, not doing anything which would reflect poorly on someone.
There is active and passive honor. You can do things to pay respect to someone, and you can simply treat them with dignity and respect when about your normal duties.
Kiki,
I've been on the road the past couple of weeks and it hasn't been quite as easy on my laptop as my PC at home. Boy, I'm too old for all this. :)
But you and yours have been prayed for with regularity. I wanted to pass that along with a hope that it encourages you in your life and ministry.
I hope you got the communication numbers you needed as I didn't have them with me on the road. Sorry.
Paul B.
Hi Kiki!
I am so glad you are out there!! I am actually responding to your post about choosing the public school system. What an encouragement to a mom who is just starting out on that path - consciously - surrounded by homeschoolers (God bless you all!!) - and often feeling inferior for having made this choice. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
Angela
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