Honor

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD. [1 Kings 10.1-5]

Solomon's fame brought honor to the name of the LORD. Then, when the Queen of Sheba witnessed all that Solomon had done and was doing, she said:

Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.” [1 Kings 10.9]

Compare 1 Kings 10.1-5 above with this:

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 1.11-12]

What does it mean for us to bring honor to the name of God (or to Jesus)? Well, obviously it means that honor is not brought to our own name! But it is actually much more than that...

To walk in God's wealth, wisdom, and power carries a great responsibility to avoid pride. It seems that attributing honor to God is speaking words (as seen in the Queen of Sheba), while truly honoring God is doing deeds (as seen in Solomon). 

For New Testament believers, to honor Jesus (God in the flesh) is to do things in such a way that only Jesus is seen. Words are not even necessary. In fact, it might even be argued that the compulsion to verbally "give God the glory" for something we've done reveals an inward belief that the accomplishment was originally ours (it's something to at least think about!).

So, if we genuinely honor God, then others will not praise us, but instead give glory directly to God (as did the Queen of Sheba). For me to do something causing others to say, "Good job, Greg!" is quite different than for me to do something causing others to say, "Praise God (Who obviously did it)!"

According to Paul in his letter to the Church in Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 1.11-12 above), when God's power is evident upon our lives because we simply obeyed the prompting of faith, then Jesus is recognized and honored first. As a bonus, we are honored along with Him (but not because we are seen, but He is).

Father, may my life be so obviously "Jesus" that I myself am not even seen.