Honor Your Father and Your Mother

Honor and faith go together. This is a value of the Kingdom of God that needs to be remembered in our homes daily. Honoring father and mother is the first commandment with promise in the Word of God. See more in this post and learn how to live in a culture of honor in your family.

Reading: 4”
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Continuing the series The 10 Commandments of the Family we come to the fifth commandment which is to honor your father and your mother so that you live well. The Hebrew word for honor is kabod, which means weight, heavy, and was also used for wealth because silver and gold were weighed to measure business payments.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Exodus 20:12

Honor and Faith Go Together

The Bible always shows faith and honor associated with it. For you to live in honor you need to open your heart to faith. It is not enough to just be well educated, disciplined or a good person. You need the help of the Holy Spirit for appreciation and esteem to flow in your relationships.

We see this when Jesus highlighted the faith of the Roman centurion who publicly honored Him. While that man expressed appreciation, Jesus saw his faith. That is, it is not enough to try to be a good person because the type of honor that God speaks of in his commandment is that which accompanies faith.

But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
The Gospel of Matthew 8:8

A Gift from God

On the other hand, the Bible shows us that Jesus was despised in his own country. They did not experience his miracles. And the reason was their lack of faith. That is, without faith it is impossible to live in honor.

Danny Silk says that “the honor principle implies recognizing exactly who people are, giving them what they deserve and receiving from them the gift of who they are in our lives”. This is a great definition because it shows the value of the relationships given by God to each of us. Note that honor is not about what I need, but about what I can give, recognizing that I have already received everything from God.

How to Demonstrate Honor in a Practical Way

Honoring requires an attitude of faith. This is a principle established by God. Aloísio Silva said that “honor is not a doctrine created by men or by the church, but a key principle established by God for all areas of our lives”.

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.
Apostle Paul, letter to the Romans 12:10

3 Ingredients for a Life of Honor

The 3 words in the Bible that point the way to a life of honor through faith are:

Integrity (Ps 84:11, Pr 14:31, Prov 16:31, Heb 13: 4)
Humility (Prov 15:33, Prov 22: 4, Prov 29:23)
Fear of the Lord (1Ch 29:12, Prov 3:16, Prov 4: 8, John 12:26)

These 3 words can be summed up in brokenness. Honoring father and mother should be taught to our children from an early age, through instruction and correction. Only then will they be trained for healthy relationships with both society and God.

What Doesn’t Match a Culture of Honor

Against a life of honor are the following practices:

Lack of respect for elders (Lk 4:16)
Disobedience to our leaders (Josh 4:9)
Pride (Prov 25:6, Mt 6:2, Mt 13:57, Mt 23:6)
Folly (Prov 26:8, Isa 29:13, Luke 14:8)
Partiality (Mark 6:4, John 4:44, John 5:23, Jas 2:3)

These heart attitudes must be rejected. They come to the surface now and then, but they need to be nipped in the bud. As parents we need to train ourselves and our children, through a life of dependence on the Holy Spirit, to cultivate sincere attitudes of love for others.

Conclusion

The culture of honor in a family is generated from a life of faith that glorifies Jesus. Start today to value faith and honor in your relationships. And enjoy the promise of God that is a long and blessed life for you.

Prayer: God, thank you so much for your loyal love and your noble purpose for my life. Please help me to grow in my faith and develop a culture of honor in my family for your glory, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?
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