"Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10 (NIV)

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Honor means "great respect." For many, honor seems to be reserved for special occasions. In weddings, we vow to love, honor and cherish the other. At funerals, we honor the memory of those who have passed.

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In addition, we tend to reserve honor for only those we deem worthy. Only if the bride is honorable might some grooms give honor. Only if the men died as heroes might we bury them with honor.

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Jesus received honor when He was healing and feeding, but He saw that honor was hard to find in the most familiar setting. He said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home," (Mark 6:4b). Ironically, those closest to us can be the driest wellspring of honor. 

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The church must be a place where honor is graciously nurtured. However, growing closer together as the family of God can sometimes become too comfortable. Don't allow familiarity to breed contempt; instead, let the Spirit of God cultivate honor within you for one another. God honored us by choosing us as his children. Shouldn't we honor him in the way we treat our fellow Christians?

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PRAYER: God, thank you for sending Jesus whose example of humility shows us how we can honor others above ourselves. Help me to show great honor to others, regardless of whether I deem them worthy, because honoring them honors You. 

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