Give Honour To Whom It Is Due
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth
(Ephesians 6:1-3).
Primarily, honour means to show respect
towards another. It means to give recognition
to; to esteem. It also means to give preference. Our
opening verse admonishes children to honour their
parents. When you honour your parents, God says
you’ll have a long and happy life. That means God’s
going to specially preserve you in the earth, and see
to it that you have a prosperous and glorious life.
There’re lots of people who’re looking for jobs,
and not getting any, neither do they have the right ideas
to start up their own business; things aren’t well with
them. It’s possible they haven’t been honouring their
parents or those whom God has placed over them.
You’re indebted to your parents and those who
nurtured and brought you up in life. You owe them; and
it’s a debt you’ll have to pay. 1 Timothy 5:4 AMP says,
“But if a widow has children or grandchildren, see
to it that these are first made to understand that it is
their religious duty [to defray their natural obligation
to those] at home, and make return to their parents
or grandparents [for all their care by contributing to
their maintenance], for this is acceptable in the sight
of God.” The way to pay that debt is by honouring
them, and giving back to them.
There’s, however, one more inclusion to this truth.
In the New Testament, when God said for us to honour
our parents, He wasn’t only referring to our physical
parents, but also our spiritual parents. Your spiritual
father or mother is the one who brings you up in the
faith. The Bible says, “For though ye have ten thousand
instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers:
for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the
gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15).
There’re those who start out well in Church and
later become unruly in the house of God. They come
to church whenever they wish, speak against the
leadership in the most derogatory manner. Such people
aren’t giving honour to whom honour is due. Honour
those who have the rulership and authority over you.
This is of utmost importance in the Kingdom of God,
because your success and wellbeing are connected
to this: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and
submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as
they that must give account, that they may do it with
joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for
you” (Hebrews 13:17).
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for teaching me to esteem, honour,
and show respect to those you’ve placed in positions to
nurture and bring me up in the path of truth and righteousness.
Thank you for your blessings in my life; I’m making progress
from glory to glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further study
Mark 12:14-17;1 timothy 5:4; 1 Peter 2:17
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
1 timothy 3:1-16
Jeremiah 9-10
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
hebrews 10:19-39
ezekiel 20