Devotional Story on Honor
The devotion theme for July is Honor.
Asking the artisans what they think of when they hear the word "honor", some said it’s the act of being respectful towards someone. They explained that you have to respect yourself if you want to be respected. Respecting everyone is not easy, but we can do it with God's help.
Honor and respect go hand-in-hand. The Bible tells us that honor is the quality of being worthy of respect, while respect is treating others with the same love and respect that God has for us. 1 Peter 2:17 challenges us to show proper respect to everyone. This means that every human being should be respected, even when they may not have earned respect.
There are different areas of authority that they Bible mentions in particular:
- Government: 1 Peter 2:13-17 says “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority whether the emperor as the supreme authority or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”
This means we should honor the person’s position or title along with speaking about what may be wrong in the system in a respectful way, without tarnishing or breaking that person’s spirit.
- Employment: In our areas of work we are requested to honor our employers. Colossians 3:22 says “Slaves obey your earthly masters in everything and do it not only when their eye is on you and to carry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."
This is a beautiful reminder that our ultimate master is the Lord Jesus and when we honor our employers or supervisors, we honor Jesus as well. In my experience, honoring and submitting to my leaders in my area of work has brought blessings in terms of skills, knowledge and opportunities.
For other staff and artisans, they are still at DuHope because they have been able to learn what it means to respect their superiors and honor them.They have been able to grow in so many areas of their lives and they can use the knowledge, wisdom and skills in other places.
The Bible also gives us instructions for family and church leaders to demonstrate honor in their lives:
- Family: Colossians 3: 18-21 says “Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord. Fathers do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged."
These are basic Godly instructions for how a Christian family should run. Blessings and rewards follow such a household.
- Church leaders: 1 Timothy 5:17 says “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
This is a reminder that our church leaders should be honored as well.