Great and Small

The story is told of a man who was shown both heaven and hell. In hell, the people were seated at a banquet table filled with delicious food. However, their arms were in splints and the only eating utensils were forks with three-foot long handles. Try as they might, they could not get the food into their mouths and were starving, while seated only inches from a feast. In heaven, the scenario was identical, except this time, each person was feeding someone else, seated across the table.

While this story is far from an accurate depiction of heaven and hell, the idea is correct. God’s instructions for His people always include selflessness—a trait that does not come easily for us. Jesus modeled selfless serving while He was on the earth and He wants us to follow that pattern. When we take our eyes off our own desires and ambitions, we are in position to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. In God’s kingdom, those who want to be greatest must go to the back of the line, while those who seek the lowest position of service are exalted. God offers us many opportunities to choose humility, but if we stubbornly refuse, God will have to do it for us. It is far preferable to humble ourselves willingly.

Humble yourself in the sight of God, and He will lift you up. James 4:10

Give Honor

Give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7)

The flashing lights in your rearview mirror make you groan. Oh yeah, that was a stop sign back there, wasn’t it? The one you flew through while glancing down at the text that lit up your screen. The uniformed officer strides to your window. You roll it down while your brain scans frantically through your excuse file in case one of them fits this occasion. He whips off his sunglasses and you recognize him. The kid from fifth grade! The bully who used to taunt you all the way to the schoolyard. You heard he got kicked of college and he hits his wife. He’s a cop now? Heat surges to your face and your fists clench.

Regardless of what you feel like doing, would it be wisest to: a) jump out of the car and pound his face?  b) stare straight ahead and refuse to answer anything he asks?  c) show him honor and comply with his request for your license and registration? We wrestle with the idea of honoring officials who don’t deserve the title. A policeman, a judge, or an elected official may each be a dishonorable human being in many ways, but we are to show them honor because of their position. Honor is not necessarily based upon the character of an individual. We can show honor to a person because of the office he or she holds. It is the office that earns our respect, even if the individual holding that office does not.

God instituted authority for our good. It works when we “give honor to whom honor is due.”  

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