Expanding Our Understanding of Honor
 
Just Honor God—

What do you think of when you read those words?

Do you have any expectations of what this will say?

Does your life honor God?

Even more basic, what does it mean to honor God?

One day, early in his ministry, Jesus stood before the hate-filled, self-righteous Pharisees and revealed his heart’s desire, “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father” (John 5:23a). Ever since, honor has been one of the more fundamental words of the Christian faith. However, like many so-call Christian terms (words like repent, confess, born again, and the ever-confusing personal relationship with God), we find it difficult to define and nearly impossible to live. Let’s start with a definition of honor.

In the Bible, honor is marketplace lingo, justifying the price of an item. The price should correspond with its value. For example, if sugar was in abundance, the value significantly dropped—the more scarce the commodity, the greater the price. So, we might say that Jesus desired “That all men should understand the extraordinary value of the Son, even as they understand the extraordinary value of the Father.”

Value and worth are closely related. Value is the benefit you get from the item you purchased. Some people receive great benefit from a certain medication, while others have very little benefit and even less appreciation from the same chemical. Honor is an issue of respect. We can better understand Jesus’ desire to read, “That all men should appreciate the extraordinary value ofthe Son, even as they appreciate the extraordinary value of the Father.”

Worth, on the other hand, compares one item with another in order to determine which is more or less worthy. For example, your PC becomes less worthy with every added innovation. Now, let’s amplify this phrase a bit more with the previous paraphrase. “That all men should appreciate the extraordinary value and recognize the incomparable worth of the Son, even as they appreciate the extraordinary value and recognize the incomparable worth of the Father.”

When we speak of honoring God, we are declaring that his worth and value are beyond any price tag. His worth exceeds comparison and his value never depreciates. So, our final amplified paraphrase reads, “That all men should appreciate the extraordinary and priceless value, and recognize the incomparable and immeasurable worth of the Son, even as they appreciate the extraordinary and priceless value, and recognize the incomparable and immeasurable worth of the Father.”

Armed with a deeper understanding of the word “honor”—value, respect, worth, and price tag—we are ready to consider the practical side of JUST HONOR GOD.
If I Set My Heart on Honoring God

 If I set my heart on Honoring God . . .

 
. . . I will remain pure,
            no matter how strong the temptation;
 
. . . I will forgive,
            no matter how justified my bitterness;
 
. . . I will remain patient,
            no matter how intolerant I may feel;
 
. . . I will speak of my Lord,
            no matter how uncomfortable it is;
 
. . . I will remain faithful,
            no matter how persistent the trial;
 
. . . I will remain confident,
            no matter how hopeless the situation;
 
. . . I will remain loyal,
            no matter how easy it is to defect;
 
. . . I will pray often,
            no matter how busy life becomes;
 
. . . I will love unconditionally,
            No matter how I am loved in return;
 
. . . I will persevere,
            No matter how easy it is to quit
 
. . . I will trust in the Lord,
            No matter how illogical he seems;
 
. . . I will spend time in God's Word,
            no matter how tired I may be;
 
. . . I will accept God's will,
            no matter how burdensome it is;
 
. . . I will reach out to others,
            no matter how introverted I am;
 
. . . I will sing God's praises,
            no matter how well I may sing the;
 
. . . I will keep focused on the Answer
            no matter how difficult the question;
 
. . . I will worship the Lord,
            no matter how gloomy the situation.
 
. . . I will trust God's direction,
            no matter how rocky the journey;
 
. . . I will accept God's choice,
            no matter how much I disagree;
. . . If I Set My Heart
            on Honoring God!
 
--Rick Metrick
The Other Night

The other night I shut my eyes,
As though I could escape
All the problems,
Injustices,
And challenges of life.
They were more than I could take.
One deep breath and then another,
I came before God’s throne
“You are my Strength,
My Comforter,
My Rock, ‘n all I need.”
Yet, I feel so all alone.
I lingered there and wondered how
My life had come to this.
My careful plans,
My ideal dreams,
Directions for my life
Each one tragically dismissed.
“My body’s weak, my mind’s confused,
I don’t know what to do.
The Enemy
Has pierced my heart;
I’m broken. Lord, I pray,
That my life will honor you.”
“My dear child,” I heard Him say,
“My peace I leave with you.”
“I am your God,
You’re not alone,
You have no need to fear,
What the Evil One may do.”
“Remember, this is not your life;
Your life is in my hand.
What happens now,
No matter what,
Is happening to Me;
And it’s in My perfect plan.”
Satan is strong, but not as strong
As I am strong for thee.
I’m using him,
Confusing him,
He’s under my control.
Be patient and you will see.
“What happens next, no matter what,
My presence will remain,
To calm your mind,
Make strong your faith,
Until you’re purified;
Then transform your loss to gain.
A sense of peace—security
Flowed through my weary soul.
He gave me hope,
and gave me life,
But, greater still by far
He gave reason to be bold.
A child of God is what I am,
This world is not my home.
I’ll live by faith
And not by sight,
I’ll trust in God alone,
Oh, how my spirit has grown!
To honor God, to value Him—
My heartbeat and my goal—
Means rest in Him,
Draw strength from Him,
And let His life shine thru,
That Him, others might behold
--Rick Metrick

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