Not Without Honor

Not Without Honor

When a person gets a promotion at work, has won a prize or received some other kind of award or recognition the first people he/she normally wants to share that good news with is family. It may be by phone or

E-mail or bursting into the house yelling, "Honey! Honey!" but in some manner a loved one is going to find out about their good fortune. And in most cases, the family is thrilled about it and there are high fives and victory dinners. Sometimes there is a jealous member of the family that tries to downplay the achievement or award but for the most part everyone is happy and is thrilled to share in the excitement.

Unfortunately, it does not always work out that way in all arenas of life. When a person is born again, they are excited. Some more noticeably than others due to temperament, but excited nonetheless. The first people they want to share this with are family then friends and coworkers. In this situation unless the rest of the family is already saved and has been praying for the person the reception of such news is not always welcomed. In many cases, you would have thought that they had just hugged them and said, "I just found out that I have the flesh eating virus!" The ice gets so thick that the iceberg the Titanic hit looks like an ice cube.

I can remember going back to the USAF class I was attending on Monday after I was saved Sunday. Instead of telling dirty jokes I was telling people how I got saved. Man, I was popular on Friday, but I had Bubonic plague for the rest of the class. When I went back to my normal job that following Monday, I soon went from being #1 in one of my coworker’s book to not even being on the last line of the back cover of his book. Things change!!!

Fortunately, I am an only child. Mom could have never raised any more like me by herself. When I told her about being saved I found out that she had been saved shortly before me and was praying about how to tell me and for me to get saved. That went well. Now, the rest of my family was another thing. I can remember having several of my uncles and aunts and their children in a room telling them of my conversion. Blank stares everywhere as I spoke. Being they were Methodists, I even told them that John Wesley preached being born again so they should be open to this newly saved Baptist telling them the same thing. Nothing happened and as far as I know none of them ever made a profession and they are all dead now except some of the cousins.

Witnessing to family, friends, and coworkers can be very frustrating especially if you did not get saved until you were an adult. If you are in the military or somewhere other than where you were born people may think you are a great soul winner, teacher, preacher or whatever. However, if you were saved where you were born or return there you will get very little honor from those folks. They know you too well. Frustrating though it may be, take heart for Jesus had the same problem.

Matt 13:53-58

53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (KJV)

Mark 6:1-6

1 And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

2 And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this, which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.