How do we Honor God?

Have you ever wondered about what it really means to Honor God or what it looks like? Of course, we automatically think we DO honor God. But, if we don't really know what the Bible tells us about it, then probably we are unsure how to answer, confidently, those questions.

I have been asking God and myself those questions this week and studying and pondering what it means to honor God. I have found some very interesting things out that I want to share with you.

I already knew that tithing/giving is honoring God. 

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Proverbs 3:9.

Giving God the first fruits or a tenth of whatever we bring in, is honoring Him. 

He is the one who gives us the power to get wealth to confirm His covenant,  Deuteronomy 8:18. 

Everything already belongs to God. Hebrews 2:10. 

So, giving Him a tenth of what He has provided us is a small token of our gratitude and it Honors Him!

I want to know more.... we know about "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,a for this is the right thing to do. 'Honor your father and mother.”'This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”... Ephesians 6:1-4

...that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which has sent him. John 5:23

But, HOW do I Honor Him? What shows Him that I Honor Him?

“A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” Mark 6:4

Here is that entire portion of that scripture:

Mark 6:1- 6
Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Marya and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Now, I need to know what Honor means. So, I looked in every resource I could find. Here's the information I found:

"Honor": -  perceived value; worth  (literally, "price") especially as perceived; what has value in the eyes of the beholder; (figuratively) the value (weight, honor) willingly assigned to something. Preciousness.

 The honor which one has by reason of the rank and state of the office which he holds.

In Ancient Greece, honor was a measure of worthiness. If you were honorable, you were showered with praise, respect, and privilege. Without honor, you were insignificant.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers:

Dishonor brought discredit on the Divine name.

So, then I asked myself the following questions and looked for answers:

1. What happened to show/tell that the people in His own hometown dishonored Jesus?

   a.  They rehearsed who He was according to their natural definition. 

   b.  They refused to believe in Him. 

   c.  They considered Him as ordinary, a carpenter. 

   d.  They did not value Him or what He had taught or miracles He had done.

2.  What was their attitude?

    a. They questioned where He got the wisdom and power to do miracles, but instead of pursuing that further ....

    b.  they scoffed and ....

    c.   they got offended.

3.  What were the consequence of dishonoring Jesus?

    a.  And because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 

    b.  And he was amazed at their unbelief.

4.  What are other scriptures referring to the same type of response of God's people toward God??

    a.  Matthew 15:8
‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

    b.  Psalm 78:41

"Yea, they turned back and tested God, and limited the Holy One of Israel."

Interesting commentary: Pulpit Commentary regarding Psalm 78:41:

Verse 41. - Yea, they turned back and tempted God; rather, again and again they tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel   This may mean either "they set limits to his power in their own minds", or "they actually limited his power to help and succour them by their want of faith" (comp. Mark 6:5, "He could there do no mighty work," explained in Matthew 13:58 to have been "because of their unbelief").

    c.  Psalm 78:8
"And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God."

    d.  Jeremiah 3;17 

"In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the LORD.’ All nations will come there to honor the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their evil desires."

5. Final Question: How do we show true honor to God and His Son (The Word of God) today?

Please ponder this lesson. Add any input you have regarding this lessons and questions 1-4. Please answer question 5. I will post my response to this question later.

I would appreciate hearing from you what you have learned and your thoughts regarding, "What does it mean to Honor God?"