HONOUR
“He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!”
Eph 2:5-6 (MSG)
The phenomenal position in which we find ourselves – honoured by God, loved and accepted by Him, is nothing to do with how good we are. It’s the same for everyone; the powerful, the imprisoned, the rich and famous, the obscure and destitute, poets, artists, slaves and vagabonds, priests, prostitutes, diplomats and drug-dealers…everyone of us accepted not because of what we have done or who we are but because God is love and “He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ”.
It is crazy to think that anyone of us should treat others differently. Each of us made in the image of God, each equally flawed and equally loved by Him who is love. All of us inherently precious and worthy of honour - this should characterise all our relationships and cause us to seek to honour those for whom Christ has died.
Honouring someone is a choice to treat people well, and if anything, with more respect than they deserve (let’s remember, none of us deserve how God has honoured us). If humility is about the way in which we should handle our own reputation, honour is the way in which we should handle the reputation of others. We honour people in many ways; when we are discreet, when we keep silent about their dirty linen, protect their reputation and seek their best.
Let’s seek to honour everyone we meet today – we are all precious to God.