Showing Honor

Our Savior Jesus shows us the most amazing honor! He entered our earth and took on our human flesh, he wore a crown of thorns and suffered in our place upon His cross, and He rose to new life for us and as a guarantee of our crown of life to come. None of this is deserved on our part.

As His people seeking to obey the Fourth Commandment, we are called to show honor in turn. We first honor God Himself by worshipping Him, gratefully receiving His gifts, seeking Him in prayer, living as faithful stewards, and more. We also honor the Lord by how we treat our neighbor, and in the case of the Fourth Commandment, how we treat our neighbors in positions of authority over us. 

The Fourth Commandment teaches us to honor our father and mother. Our parents are the most basic authority figures provided to us by God - and that's the primary reason we honor Him - because they are God-given, not because they are perfect people or because they do what we want or like.

The wider meaning of the Fourth Commandment includes honoring a variety of authorities in our lives: in both the state and the church, in our workplaces and schools, and beyond. It's not easy to serve in positions of authority, having difficult decisions and pressures on your shoulders and having to deal with all sorts of "people issues" on a regular basis. This is a good reminder that the authorities in our lives and in our wider world need our prayer and support, and as long as they are promoting what is God-pleasing, we owe them our obedience and cooperation as well.

Out of fear and love for the Lord our God, Christians must seek to honor parents and other God-given authorities, and in doing so, set an honorable example for others to follow as well.