I attended a wedding once where the bride’s father slapped the groom during the ceremony. He did it during his speech, which was awkward to begin with, to demonstrate a point. But everyone watching could feel that it was a serious moment of dishonor.
Man, it was painful to watch! And I wasn’t the one who was slapped. I can only imagine how the next family event went down.
To honor someone means to regard them with great respect. To respect someone means to admire them for who they are.
Honoring your family members is a must if you want peace in your home. I’ll admit it’s not always easy. But it is godly.
If that’s difficult for you, here are four ways to honor your family.
You honor your family by caring for their well-being.
Selfishness is always the main ingredient for disaster in the home. The Bible says, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:4) Caring for the well-being of your family shows that you honor them.
The Bible hits this home when it says, “Those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” (1 Timothy 5:8)
You honor your family by respecting your parents and in-laws.
When my wife Laura and I married, it was like two worlds colliding. Growing up, our families were very different. But we each chose to honor our parents and in-laws. It’s helped us to have great relationships with our families for decades.
God thought this was so important that he put it in the Ten Commandments. He said, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)
You might not know it, but you make your life much more difficult when you dishonor your parents. The Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
If honoring my parents and in-laws helps me enjoy my life on earth, then you know what happens if you don’t, right?
You honor your family when you talk about what God’s doing.
If you’re like some, you compartmentalize Jesus against everything else. You have your work life over here, and your spiritual life over there, and you’re careful not to mix the two. But they really can’t be separated.
The Bible says you are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)
When was the last time you did that? When your faith becomes a part of the family conversation, it honors them because it makes God part of it. You can do this without being preachy.
You honor your family by worshiping together.
It’s been my experience that families who face the most problems in the home are the ones who stop making God’s house a priority. They’ve stopped honoring each other by worshiping together.
Jesus said we are to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) There’s something supernatural that happens when families go to church together and worship. It brings honor to your home when you honor God through worship.
As Jesus said, “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
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