Dwight Fletcher | The gold standard of honour Part 2

1 Samuel 2:30 (NKJV) says, “… those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” This is a powerful statement that we often overlook, but consider it with me for a moment.

God promises that when we honour Him, He esteems us in return. I don’t know about you, but I want the respect of my God. And this happens by living according to God’s gold standard of honour. We started this discussion last week as we looked at having the right attitude and respecting the office of authority even when we don’t agree with the person.

Today, I want to discuss three more features of God’s Gold Standard.

1. Never undervalue those placed in your life

In 2 Corinthians 5:16 ESV, the Apostle Paul said, “ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” As people we have a tendency to determine how we will honour persons based on their perceived station in life, their history, and our familiarity with them. If we don’t manage these tendencies, they can cut us off at the knees and hold us back. The grace that could flow from that person is not received by you.

Imagine with me that you knew someone when they were young. You grew up alongside them, seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly. But in this season of life, they are in an entirely different realm. God has anointed them for more and He made sure you knew them from then so they could be your divine helper now. But your honour is what opens the door. This happens with pastors and ministers a lot. Persons just don’t recognise that this person is God’s gift to the church and because the office carries authority, this can lead to the flow of God’s best to you.

2. The dishonourable should be isolated and corrected

Dishonour is contagious. We see an example of this with Moses and his siblings in Numbers 12. We discussed this a few weeks ago – Miriam influenced Aaron in dishonouring Moses and the result was leprosy for seven days. God was giving a strong message; dishonour must not be tolerated in the camp. The person who dishonours should be corrected quickly so that this behaviour doesn’t spread to others. This is our responsibility. We have to call it out and put a stop to it.

3. Honour makes allowances for our weaknesses

Ephesians 4:2 NLT states, “ Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

There’s a powerful example in Genesis that shows us how to live out this principle. Remember Noah who built an ark to save himself and his family from the flood? Well, some time later, he gets drunk. Genesis 9 recounts the situation. His son, Ham, finds him naked and passed out, and goes to tell his brothers. But instead of laughing about it or going to take a peek, the brothers walk backwards towards the father with a garment and cover him so they don’t see him naked. In his father’s vulnerability, Ham did not treat him with honour. He didn’t recognise that his father was a work in progress, just like he was, and he was cursed because of it.

We cannot allow Ham’s sin to become our own. As Christians, we are sons and daughters of the King. We are to outdo one another or take the lead in honouring others – putting value on them and considering them as precious. This is how God’s children are supposed to live.