As I have mentioned many times in this blog, alignment with God is the key to bearing fruit in the kingdom of God as well as experiencing the power and authority of Jesus in your life. Paul spoke about taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor. 10:5). That is alignment. When we think as God thinks then we will act in accordance with those thoughts. Since that is true we need to be aware of our thoughts and challenge those that do not line up with scripture or the heart of God. The most difficult unaligned thoughts to detect are those that are reflected throughout our culture. They are so much a part of the landscape that we hardly notice them anymore.
Having grown up in the Texas panhandle and then having lived in West Texas for the past thirty years I have become used to seeing tumbleweeds blowing along our roads in the Fall and early Spring – so much so that I rarely even notice them unless they are half the size of my car and blowing across the highway in my lane. Several years ago I hosted a young couple who lived in Tennessee and were visiting Texas for the first time. I asked them if I could show them anything that was quintessentially Texas. I assumed they would want to see Longhorns, a rodeo, a ten-gallon hat, or pump jacks dotting the landscape. When I asked them they both smiled and said at the same time, “We want to see a tumbleweed.” I was so used to seeing the Russian Thistle resting against our fence rows that the idea of someone wanting to see such an ordinary sight never crossed my mind. Our familiar thoughts and perspectives can be that way as well. Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out a thought pattern that is unaligned with Jesus so that we can capture those thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.
I am convinced that for Americans, one of the qualities of heaven that eludes us is the quality of honor. In many cultures those who have lived long and developed white hair are always honored at any gathering. They are seated first, given the best seats, and are treated with great respect at family and community gatherings. In biblical cultures, the elders sat in the gates of the cities in seats of honor and were asked questions because they were assumed to have wisdom – the wisdom that comes from a perspective on life that can only be gained by observing life for many years.
There was a time when veterans, policemen, firemen, mayors, governors and presidents were given great honor and spoken of with respect and when husbands and fathers were honored by wives, children, and culture instead of being the butt of every joke in situation comedies. In our current culture the idea of honoring anyone but celebrities has diminished so much that dishonoring someone is much more common than honoring. Dishonor us not just speaking badly about someone but may also take the form of simply ignoring those who should be honored.
Scripture has a great deal to say about honoring others and it is clear that honor is a primary value in the culture of heaven. Webster defines the verb “honor” as: to regard or treat (someone) with respect and admiration: to show or give honor to (someone); to show admiration for (someone or something) in a public way: to give a public honor to (someone or something): to salute.” Let me offer a quick list of those God calls us to honor.
Honor your Father and Mother – Matt. 15:4
Honor God’s Prophets – Mark 6:4
Honor the Son / Honor the Father – Jn.5:23
Honor one who serves Jesus – Jn.12:26
Honor one who does good – Rom.2:10
Honor one another above yourselves – Rom.12:10
Give honor to whom honor is due – Rom. 13:7
Give honor to rulers and government authorities – Rom. 13:1-7
Honor men who put themselves at risk for the Lord – Phil.2:29
Honor the elders and those who direct the affairs of the church – 1 Tim.5:17
Honor the king – 1 Pet. 2:17
Honor Jesus – Numerous scriptures
Honor God – Numerous scriptures
We could go on but I wanted you to see how much the concept of honor, appreciation, admiration, and respect are part of the culture of heaven and the heart of God. We are not to seek to be honored by others but we are to be quick to give honor to others. Kris Vallotton has an interesting chapter about “honor” in his book, The Supernatural Ways of Royalty. There is a section that I wanted to share with you.
“Honor has been absent from the Church’s mindset for so long that we often dishonor people when we minister without even realizing it. This became quote clear to me a few years ago. Over a period of 12 months we had five different guest speakers come to Bethel Church and preach the message that revival is coming from the youth. The first few times I heard the message my mind was troubled and my spirit was grieved but I couldn’t perceive what was wrong…I began to question God about what was going on inside of me. He told me, ‘Revival is not coming from the youth but from One generation, old to young’” (p. 117).
Kris went on to talk about Acts 2 where the prophet Joel is quoted and said that in the latter days God will pour out his Spirit on all mankind and the Spirit will manifest in sons and daughters, young men, and old men. His point was that God wanted to unite a generation and “restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse” (Mal.4:5-6).
“The passage makes it clear that as the generations join hands, the curses over the land will be broken. God went on to explain to me that the prince of the power of the air has influenced modern thought to value young people above the elderly in a way that dishonors older folks. The Lord showed me that he Bible intentionally gives more honor and respect to the elderly, but that our culture disempowers them. I began to understand that he wrong spirit was influencing many preachers and they were playing right into the hands of the evil one…Honor is one of the greatest attributes of nobility in the entire Bible. When the kingdom is present inside us, honorable behavior comes naturally to us” (p.118).
Developing a heart that gives honor to those God wants to honor is essential to our alignment with the Father. Our culture typically honors celebrities, the rich, the physically attractive, and the powerful but not the mature, the self-sacrificing, those who work tirelessly behind the scenes, those who put themselves at risk to serve God, or those who do good. Through the years I have seen churches succumb to the same mindset where each Sunday there is a parade of celebrities across the podium who may have done less for the kingdom of God than the folks who sweep up every Sunday and faithfully take out the trash. Remember, it is the servants who are great in the kingdom of Heaven.
God says, “Those who honor me, I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30). God wants to do that through us. When I develop the heart to honor others it guards my heart against self-focus and trains me to trust God for any promotion that comes my way since I will be shining the spotlight on others rather than myself – very countercultural. It is to those whose focus is on the welfare and honor of others more than themselves that God can entrust the riches and the power of heaven. Be sure to give honor to others today and be blessed.
