HOLY IS THE LORD

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”   (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

The idea of holiness is so central to biblical teaching that it is said of God, “Holy is His name” (Luke 1:49). His name is holy because He is holy. He is not always treated with holy reverence. His name is tramped through the dirt of this world. It functions as a curse word, a platform for the obscene. That the world has little respect for God is vividly seen by the way the world regards His name. No honor. No reverence. No awe before Him. 

-- R.C. Sproul in “The Holiness of God”

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HONORING ONE ANOTHER

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”  (Romans 12:9-10 NLT)

We can honor others in one of two ways. One involves ulterior motives. We honor our bosses so they will reward us, our employees so they will work harder, the wealthy so they will contribute to our causes, the powerful so they will use their power for us and not against us. God’s way involves love. As Christians, we honor people because they have been created in God’s image, because they are brothers and sisters in Christ, and because they have a unique contribution to make to Christ’s church. Does God’s way of honoring others sound too difficult for your competitive nature? Why not try to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 ESV)? Put others first! 

-- From the “Life Application Study Bible”

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REMAINING HUMBLE

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  (Zechariah 9:9)

Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it were difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple. “When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments onto the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey that any of that was for him?” She continued, “If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in His glory, I give Him all the praise and all the honor.” 

-- Mark Schaeufele, from a sermon entitled “A Messiah Who Serves”

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REVERENCE, HONOR AND AWE

“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.”  (Proverbs 14:26)

“The remarkable thing about fearing God,” said Oswald Chambers, “is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” In other words, when you give God the reverence, honor, and awe that He deserves as your First Love, then all of a sudden you realize that nobody -- and no circumstances -- can ultimately harm you. “The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?” asked King David. (Psalm 27:1) You’re reminded that God is in control and that your eternity is secure…

On the other hand, if you allow God to slip from preeminence in your life, you will find yourself afraid of every uncertain circumstance. Everything beyond your control will generate anxiety and fret within you. “When I set God at the center of my life I realize vast freedoms and surprising spontaneities,“ said Eugene Peterson. “When I center life in my own will, my freedom diminishes markedly. I live constricted and anxious.”

-- Leslie Strobel in Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage

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BEING HONORABLE

True honor comes as the result of being honorable… "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you," is the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise. The children are challenged to honor parents unconditionally, but a close observation reveals that parents are expected to live by the other nine commandments. If they do, they are indeed worthy of such honor. The challenge for contemporary parents is that we will so live our lives that we will be worthy of our children's honor and thus our children will find it easy to honor us.

-- Gary Chapman in Five Signs of a Functional Family


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MADE TO WORSHIP

"Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." (Psalm 29:2 NKJV)

People are naturally wired to worship.

We see it when even a slumping slugger, who's failed to perform up to par all year, smacks a three-run homer late in a postseason game to swing the series back in their favor. Fans erupt in the home stadium, many of them bowing with both arms extended, honoring their hero.

Paul and Barnabas, two of the first Christian missionaries, experienced something similar while ministering in a city where the crowds became amazed at their power to heal. Word soon spread to a pagan priest, who began untying the sacrificial bulls and handing out ceremonial wreaths to anyone wanting to worship these men as gods. Hearing of this, Paul and Barnabas went ballistic: "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, humans like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God" (Acts 14:15). Worship didn't need igniting that day, just redirecting.

-- Joe Gibbs in his blog Game Plan for Life: Two-Minute Drills


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