The question of Honoring God

Today I am returning to our study of Honoring God from May 1st.

Let's ponder the Final Question from that study today: How do we show true honor to God and His Son (The Word of God) today?

What does it mean to honor God? To honor someone is to highly esteem them. Honor originates in our heart and refers to the value we personally place on someone or something. Collectors hold certain items in higher esteem than non collector's do. What others overlook may be highly valued by someone else and therefore honored. When we honor God, we are demonstrating the high regard we have for Him. 

The word translated "honor" means 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.

Read again 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.

As I read those verses, these are the words that capture my attention and my thoughts:

1. Where did he get all this wisdom and power to perform such Miracles?

His wisdom was obvious to the people. Miracles were taking place, they saw the miracles being manifested. Today, mighty miracles are happening in different places all over the world. Blind eyes are seeing, cancer is disappearing, new arms and legs are growing where previously there were no arms or legs. The dead are being raised to life... documented miracles ARE happening and yet in other places they are not. Why????

2. He's just a carpenter.

Their estimation of him was based on what they had seen and what they knew of Him by their experience. They had grown up with Him. They knew His family. To them He was just a carpenter....common. They did not hold Him in high esteem. They did not perceive His value. They did not Honor Him.

3. They refused to believe in Him.

They made a choice. They refused to trust that there was more value to Him than they knew by natural experience. They were offended. They scoffed.

4. A prophet is honored everywhere except among his own people.

Others had honored him. In other places people had held Him in high regard. They had believed if Jesus would just speak the Word, their servant would be healed. They had responded to His instructions, believing it was true if they would wash in the pool they would see. They did and they saw. They had believed they would walk if they would rise up. They had believed if He would lay hands on their daughter, she would be healed. He did and she was! They had esteemed Him so highly that they came to Him, they followed Him, they pursued Him, they trusted what He said to be true AND THEY were the recipients of the power to work miracles that he offered.

5. ...because of their unbelief.

The people in His own town just would not believe. They were too hung up on what they knew naturally. Their experience spoke louder than anything else. They honored (esteemed more valuable) what was familiar, than they did the Son of God.

6. He couldn't do any mighty Miracles among them.

He "could not" work mighty miracles among them...not "would not". Their unbelief halted His power to work miracles among them. Many people today, I have heard them with my own ears.... blame God for miracles not happening in their own lives. Instead of pursuing God to gain understanding through studying God's Word and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they believe doctrines that are not biblical to comfort themselves....they say it must not be God's will to heal them or some other lie that the enemy concocts. But, I present to you, that it is not God who has chosen not to work miracles in our lives, it is our own unbelief that has rendered His power unable to work on our behalf. We have esteemed our own experiences, our thoughts, others opinions, what we feel, what we see and what we hear more trustworthy than God Himself. We honor something other than God. Our words, our actions and our experiences prove it.

Psalm 78:41Yea, they turned back and tested God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

7. He was amazed at their unbelief.

Yes, why would you do that? Why would you stay in unbelief in the midst of God Himself. In the midst of miracles happening around you?

So, I agree, we do not have Jesus Himself standing right before us in the flesh today. But, they DID and still they would not believe. His ability to work miracles in their lives was essentially rendered powerless toward them because they simply would not believe. They would not Honor Him.

Today, we have The Word of God. Jesus IS The Word of God! How are we Honoring Him, The Word of God, today? Are we esteeming Him highly? Higher than our minds can understand? Higher than our  experiences? Just because we do not understand how it can be, does not mean that we cannot choose to accept His Word as True and Powerful and Believe that it is SO just because it is the Word of God and God cannot lie! 

I choose to Honor God by choosing to accept, as absolute Truth, what He says regardless of any evidence or experience to the contrary.

 I open the door for His power to work on my behalf by trusting Him, by believing what He says is true, by my faith in Him, in His Word. By honoring Him in this way, He is able and welcome to work miracles in my life and He does. I Choose to Believe and act upon the Word of God. I Honor Him. I willingly place my estimation of God and His Word to be of more importance, of greater value, of more power and worthy of more honor than anyone or anything else.

God IS who He says He is and He will DO what He says He will DO....So, will we Honor Him by believing what He says so we can receive what He is offering us? Or will we shut Him down by our refusal to believe what He says is true, regardless of any contradiction. That is the faith that we must live by. That is the faith that please God. THAT is Honoring God!

How do we Honor (value) Him today? He is The Word of God. When we read the Word of God, do we treat it as common, just words on paper, or do we respond to His Word as it really is: Alive, Powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword...The Word of God? God Himself! Do we realize that the way we treat God's Word is the way we are treating God Himself???

Are we willing to lay down what we know, naturally speaking, and our previous experiences that block our minds from being willing to believe what God says is true? Are we willing to decide that from here forward God and His Word will be more influential in our lives than any other voice, any other report, any other thing that would try to oppose Him? Are we willing to let go of our stubbornness that keeps us from looking beyond the common, the carpenter, to see the Truth that will set us free if we will take the effort, the pursuit, the persistence, in spite of the circumstances to really KNOW the Truth so we can receive the freedom, the miracles, that ARE available to us today?

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

What He has done for others, he will do for us if we will respond to Him with the same Honor as those who have received His miraculous power in their lives.

Honor Him today....Only Believe.

Revelations 19:11-13

And I saw heaven having been opened, and behold, a white horse, and the One sitting upon it called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. Now His eyes are like a flame of fire, and upon His head many diadems, having a name having been written, which no one except He Himself knows, and having been clothed with a garment having been dipped in blood. And His name is called The Word of God.