Dwight Fletcher | The gold standard of honour

IF YOU’VE been following along in this series, then I hope by now you have a better understanding of how God values the Kingdom principle of honour. In the past weeks, we’ve discussed how it is the gateway to many blessings and that God seriously hates dishonour, as it corrodes everything it touches. With this in mind, we have to uncover the right way to honour.

It’s not enough to know that this is important to God, we must also honour Him and others the way He wants us to do so. We have to apply His gold standard to each situation and person we encounter.

1. THE GOLD STANDARD OF HONOUR REQUIRES THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

Before we can begin to discuss actions, we must look at attitudes. It is from our hearts that our actions flow. Honour begins in the mind, in the heart and in our attitudes. Let me share an example from Scripture. In Luke 5, we read a powerful story about one of Jesus’ healings. Here is how the story begins: “Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” (Luke 5:17 NKJV).

I want you to pause and read that again. Do you see that the Lord wanted to heal the Pharisees and teachers of the law? God’s power was present, and it was powerful enough to heal their sickness, disease and all that ailed them. But, as we continue to read, we realise that none of them actually received healing. Healing came only to a paralysed man whose friends lowered him through the roof. Why?

The condition of their hearts prevented them from receiving from God. Luke 5:21-22 says, “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?”

Note that none of them argued aloud, but in their thoughts they rejected Jesus and, because of that, they missed out on their healing.

Dishonour always starts in the mind. We have to get our minds right. Because there will be times when the person we must honour is the person we do not like. In those cases, the gold standard of honour doesn’t allow for mere lip service, but requires a committed heart of service. Even when you have difficulties with the person, adjust your attitude and honour the office.

2. THE GOLD STANDARD OF HONOUR RESPECTS THE OFFICE

We’ve all experienced those difficult cases where the person in authority behaves in such a way that we don’t think they deserve our respect. But we must remember that honour does not have to be earned to be given. In fact, honour is most powerful when it is given freely, not just to those we like or agree with, but even to those who have fallen. This doesn’t mean blindly following a leader into sin, or saying that what they’re doing is right when it is clearly wrong. It means highlighting the good, respecting the position of authority that God has given them in your life, and trusting our Sovereign Father to deal with the rest.

As you go about this week, stop and consider the offices of authority in your life – parents, bosses, government leaders, church leaders, etc. Pray for your own heart to honour them, even when you think they don’t deserve it. Then, join me next week as we discuss the other features of God’s gold standard of honour.