Fifth Commandment

Honor your father and mother...

I did a bit of research on the biblical concept of honor. And there is a difference in its use in reference to God and its use in reference to other people. In reference to God it refers almost universally to obedience, and worship. But in reference to people (like our father and our mother) the concept is more broad.

To be sure, the New Testament tells children to obey their parents. And this is significant when speaking about children who still live in their parent's home or who are living on the financial support of their parents. But when a self-supporting adult is addressed with the idea of honoring their parents, it is very helpful to understand the biblical concept of honoring another person.

Here is what I discovered about honoring another person as I scanned the Bible for examples.

First, see the person the way God sees that person. See them the way God designed them to be, the way He is working in their life to make them to be. Getting stuck in all the shortcomings we see in a person is a dishonor.

Second, speak to the person with the words God has for the person. God has words of grace and love. God corrects gently. God is full of patience. The way we speak to a person AND the way we speak of a person will be a major characteristic of our honor for them.

Third, treat the person as someone who is created by, loved by, and cherished by God. They are and our actions toward this person can reflect all of these attributes of God.

Maybe you have a parent or another person to begin to honor today.