How do we walk into the abundant life God has called us to? First you need to know that God has called us to a life of abundance. He has called us to have a full life. And we don’t mean a full life with material things. We’re talking about your whole life prosperity.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10
How do we honour God? We honour His people
Honouring means putting a weight, price and value on something.
4 For just as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, 5 So we, numerous as are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts of one another [mutually dependant on one another] 6 Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, [a]with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness 9 Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour.
Romans 12:4-10
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Matthew 10:41
The reality is that we are all mutually dependent on each other. There’s something you have – that God has uniquely placed in your life that I need and vice versa. We are a part of body. We need one another. The degree of which you recognise the value of someone else in the body of Christ, is the degree of which you will actually be able to partake in that grace. We are to place a high value on one another.
We honour on 3 different levels…
- People above us
Anyone that is speaking into your life from a higher position/perspective.
e.g. Leaders, spouse, boss, parents
Their role is to build us and mature us into Christ-likeness. The degree to which we honour that person is the degree to which we will be rewarded for our honour.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ
Ephesians 4: 11-15
Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered doubly worthy of honor [and of adequate [a]financial support], especially those who labor faithfully in preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17
My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you
Galatians 4:19
- People beside us
Anyone that is in the same part of their journey/maturity as us.
E.g., spouse, friends, peers, colleagues
Their role is to support me and sharpen me as I support and sharpen them. The responsibility that we have when we honour people beside us is not so we can impart on one another but rather sharpen one another.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend
Proverbs 27:17
We must be selective of who we surround ourselves with an who we allow to speak into our lives. How do we determine who should speak into our lives? 1 Corinthians 11:1 – And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
- People below us
Anyone that we are building and helping mature into Christ-likeness
E.g., children, friends, new believers, sub-ordinates, people of lower social standing.
John 13: 12-15 | 12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you
Jesus here is showing us, as our model, how to serve others.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2: 5-8
5 Ways To Practically Honour
- Bless, serve, appreciate, pray for, support
- Implement the person’s instruction/impartation
- Follow through on your commitment (even if it means it is sacrificial)
- Be on time
- Be responsive
Go into this week with this mindset about people – “you are worth it”
