Who do you honor? Do you give honor to celebrities? Do you give honor to sports players? Do you honor your parents? Do you honor your children? Do you honor God? Who should you honor?
We honor so many people in this world. We often seek honor for ourselves. Don’t think so? Don’t we want people to notice us, notice something good we’ve done? We sometimes talk about people getting their “10 minutes of fame.”
We see a wide variety of people becoming famous for a multitude of reasons. Some for being on the TV, with some of them being caught on video doing some really crazy or dangerous things. Some become famous for their brilliant discoveries in science or medicine. Some fame is granted based on an achievement in music. And many of us bow down to honor those people with everyone else in this world. We hold them in high esteem.
I remember when I was young, playing on a grade school basketball team. We were going to play against a much larger school and the boys we were going to play against were taller than we were. Our coach saw that we were defeated, in our minds, before we stepped onto the court. He gave us a little pep talk. He said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you do.” I don’t think I fully grasped his meaning at that time, but I do now. You see, we are all people and we all have the same needs and wants. Sure, there are some variations, but they are minor when you really think about it.
Where does that leave us? I believe it means we should certainly acknowledge accomplishments, but not to the degree that we put someone so high on a pedestal that we forget they are still human. They still have their needs and wants. We all live and die. We all eat and drink. We all sleep and wake. Who allows all of this to happen?
God is the One who deserves our true honor. He is our Creator. He is the one that puts the very breath in us. He is the One who can take that breath away at any moment. He is the One who provides us with jobs, homes, cars, talents, and everything we have. He provides us with children, parents, and grandparents. He sets our lives in motion and can stop them when He wishes. Shouldn’t we honor the One who has this power over us and who is our Creator?
I pray each of us honor God. I pray we show Him the respect and deference that He deserves. I pray we are in awe of His mighty works. Honor God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Be in awe of Him. Be appreciative of His works. Give Him thanks.
Matthew 15:8-9
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’ ”
Marty Pressey 