Honor

​Honor seems to be a lost concept in these decaying days.  As she declines cynicism ascends to ravage our land. People watch their heroes fall to lust, haughtiness and hypocrisy to the point that scandal has become ho-hum.  Of course, this makes sense for honor cannot be owned long by anything infected by sin.  When people conclude it is hopeless to live a virtuous life they must find some means to justify their tainted tastes.  Rather than fight an insatiable flesh some condone it as natural and reinvent virtue in defiled ways. "They devise crimes and say, “We have perfected a secret plan.” The inner man and the heart are mysterious" (Psalm 64:6).  Whenever evil is called good understand that honor is despised as intolerant.  Thus, the mother who decries the neighborhood pedophile is labeled by sexual deviants as hateful.  

True honor must come from Truth and only Jesus claimed this title (John 14:6).  He backed up His claim by living perfectly.  Therefore, we gain our honor by gaining Christ.  We fellowship with His honorable Father through His merit and not our own.  Jesus challenges us to deny ourselves so we can be free of our selfishness and set our eyes on God.  He showed us how to live.  He sent His Spirit to help us be like Him.  

When we call ourselves Christians, we associate ourselves with Christ.  To live dishonorably is to slander His holy name.  To live through His power is to generate light that brings hope to those trapped in darkness.  You don’t have to be greatly gifted or famous to be honorable.  God can use you in the humblest of settings and obscure places to further His kingdom if you will commit to doing your best wherever you are for His glory.  This is honor.  
Homage Lord we give to You who made us by Your perfect will.
Our dignity was bought by grace when all our sins Your blood erased. 
Noble Light, Your love proclaimed; from our darkness we were saved!
Only You deserve the words, “King of kings and Lord of lords!”
Reverence woven rich by awe for You are worthy over all!  
Something to think about . . . in reveration!   
 
Meditation
Psalm 62:7--My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God.
 
Inspiration
We pay God honor and reverence, not for His sake (because He is of Himself full of glory to which no creature can add anything), but for our own sake.—Thomas Aquinas 
Our estimate of honour measures our growth in grace.  What we stand up for proves what our character is like.—Oswald Chambers in Biblical Psychology
Christians have fallen into the habit of accepting the noisiest and most notorious among them as the best and the greatest. They too have learned to equate popularity with excellence, and in open defiance of the Sermon on the Mount they have given their approval, not to the meek, but to the self-assertive; not to the mourner, but to the self-assured; not to the pure in heart who see God, but to the publicity hunter who seeks headlines.—A.W. Tozer
When one seeks the honor that comes from God only, he will take the withholding of the honor that comes from men very quietly indeed.—George Macdonald 
Who loses honor can lose nothing else.—Latin proverb
I would rather have men ask why I have no statue than why I have one.—Greek proverb
 
©2003 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)