To Whom We Give Honor

"Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." 1 Peter 2:17

We tend to pick and choose who we give honor to. Usually, we honor those who treat us well. But according to the first sentence of this verse, we are to give honor to everyone regardless of how we are treated. I have to really work at this because my natural tendency is to simply write people off who I object.

I was leading a Bible study once, and there was a gentleman there I'd never seen before. After the study, he came up to me and said, "You don't like me very well, do you?" That was an interesting statement because, up to that point, I hadn't given it much thought. I told him it was too soon to tell. I needed to get to know him better, and then I could decide. Turns out he really wasn't someone I could appreciate being around much. Nevertheless, God loved him just as much as He loves me, so I needed to put my preference aside and view him through the eyes of Jesus.

One of the ways to honor someone is to simply be friendly. As I said before, I have to work at this because I spend more time than I should trying to avoid people. My wife is truly gifted in this area. I don't believe she has ever met a stranger. I have seen her time and again exchanging information with someone 5 minutes after meeting them. It is completely possible for everyone to honor everyone. Some of us just have to work at it more.

By Rick “Papa” Wilson