How are honor and purity related? How are we to honor God? This daily devotional looks at what is meant by honor and how we can honor God.
Nuggets
- We are all given different gifts — and different levels of gifts.
- Even children of God may have impurities, which will hamper His use of us.
- If honor is esteem, respect, regard, or reputation, we gain that when we are achieving purity.
- We must honor God in our hearts as well as in our actions.
Devotions in the What Is Purity? series
What Is Honor to Disciples of Christ?
Let's Put It into Context
When we look up purity in the Holman Bible Dictionary, we are redirected to clean. Clean in the Scriptures refers to disciples being holy and pure. Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure.
Glossary
I know. Circular definitions.
Pure means without blemish. For disciples, we would define pure as without the stain of sin.
Honor, according to the Holman Bible Dictionary, “… approximates our ideas of esteem, respect, (high) regard, or (good) reputation.”
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Jortin also gave us a definition of honor. He wrote, “To honour God is to frame to ourselves just and worthy notions of Him, of His perfections, of His power, wisdom, justice, goodness and mercy, to reflect upon them with pleasure and respect, to love Him, to trust in Him, to desire to resemble Him as nearly as our nature permits, and in all things to consult His will as the rule of our life. To honour God is to declare openly before men by our behaviour that we reverence Him, and would choose above all things to approve ourselves to Him. To honour God is to be constant in the performance of all public acts of religion. To honour God is to improve our abilities, and to discharge the duties of our station in a manner which shall procure respect to the religion which we profess.”
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Having Honor to Prepare for Service
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (II Tim. 2: 20-21 KJV)
It would be easy to interpret this verse as saying, as disciples of Christ, we are referred to as vessels of gold and silver. These vessels have gone through a purification process. Those who are not disciples of Christ — who have not gone through a purification process — are referred to as vessels made of wood and clay.
Plumptre challenged that thinking. He believed that the classes of the vessels were indicative to their use and esteem within God’s church. This use would be determined by the purity of the vessel. Soltan described it as vessels for temple use and vessels for everyday use.
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I can see arguments for both interpretations. God can and does use believers and non-believers alike to accomplish His Will.
We are all given different gifts — and different levels of gifts. “… Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Lk. 12: 48 ESV).
God loves all His creation. He has a special place in His heart for His people. They are His children.
Glossary
What it comes down to is how pure are the vessels? Even children of God may have impurities, which will hamper His use of us.
I loved how Barlow explained why the analogy of the vessels was used. Vessels can hold both good and bad in a variety of forms.
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See, that is what the verse says. “… some to honour, and some to dishonour” (II Tim. 2: 20-21 KJV). Taylor read that to mean that we have impurities within us that must be removed.
Taylor’s point was that we could have much that need removed — and still be called a vessel of gold and a vessel of honor.
Now, don’t worry. God isn’t adding an additional requirement onto us. We do this purging while we are navigating the Sanctification Road.
As we navigate the Sanctification Road, according to Taylor, we should learn two things to purify us. First, God will be watching us, so we must walk carefully to do His Will. Second, we must work to know what His Will is.
We won’t become purified if we don’t totally submit to God. That will be a daily choice that we just make.
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I hear you. That is all about purity, but this devotion is supposed to be about honor. Where does that come into play?
If honor is esteem, respect, regard, or reputation, we gain that when we are achieving purity.
What? You thought we were entitled to the respect? We should have the esteem and regard because we are creations of God?
Naw, we have to have the reputation that we are working toward His Will.
Honor or Disgrace?
“Therefore, this is the declaration of the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘I did say that your family and your forefather’s family would walk before me forever. But now,’ this is the LORD's declaration, ‘no longer! For those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disgraced’” (I Sam. 2: 30 CSB)
Not doing God’s Will and not submitting to Him will not lead to honor. It will lead to disregard.
Let’s put this into context. God was talking to Eli here. When the Wilderness Wanderers came out of Egypt, God declared that the house of Levi would be the priests. Eli was part of that house.
Eli’s sons had sinned big time. They were not conducting the offering the way God had instructed among other things.
God was done with them. He killed the sons, and He told the father his line would no longer be priests.
He is Sovereign God. He can hold us to His standard.
If Eli and his family would have served God as instructed, none of this would have happened.
Our problem is we want the honor without the hardship. We don’t always see why we have to work for it. We don’t want to have to give up stuff.
We must honor God in our hearts as well as in our actions. That is the inside/outside deal. We have to completely give ourselves to God to receive the honor.
We cannot forget the fact that the honor comes from God alone. We don’t have honor without Him.
Oh, yea. The worldview has its own code of honor. But it isn’t God’s honor.
We are to honor God because of His character. His honor comes from Him being Him. We show this honor by trusting Him.
Macaulay reminded us that God deals with us individually. Any honor He bestows on us is because of us. Any honor He withholds is because of us.
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Making the Connections
I love what Alford had to say. In Elaine-speak, it is this. We as disciples of Christ need to not only live up to the “us” we show others, but we also need to live above that in our hearts.
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Ooo, baby. Isn’t that the opposite of what we usually do? We like to appear more than what we are.
Trust God to flip the expectation.
Some of us can put on a good show for others. We make them think we are men and women of God. And we are on the outside. Our actions — that others see — bring honor and glory to God.
But there is a disconnect with our hearts. Maybe our motivations are not in order to praise God. Maybe we are looking for recognition or some type of financial gain.
We won’t get honor from God that way.
Yes, we are to honor God. No, He doesn’t need us.
God wants us to have a relationship with Him – a relationship that is built on honor. But look at it this way.
If we approach Him in reverence and awe, honor shouldn’t be a huge jump. God is good with us honoring Him. He is satisfied.
When we honor God, He honors us. It is a two-way street – based on us ABCDing.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Let’s regroup a second. Self-discipline helps us correct things we don’t – and God doesn’t – like within us. A big part-of self-discipline is mind over matter.
Mind over matter, to me, equates to we need to choose (mind) God over this world (matter). We have to choose honor God.
How Do We Apply This?
How do we honor God?
- We confess God as Sovereign Lord.
- We believe in Jesus as our Savior and in His Word.
- We submit to God.
- We put our faith and trust in Him.
- We worship Him in the way commanded.
- We stand in awe of His power and glory.
- We need to fulfill His ordinances and sacraments.
- We obey Him.
- We thank Him for His goodness and mercy.
- We repent of our sins and live virtuous lives.
- We follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and complete the tasks assigned to us.
- We grow our relationships with Him through constant communication with Him.
- We hold tight during the storms of this life.
- We use the skills and talents He has given us to expand His kingdom.
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Because we honor God, He adopts us into His family and showers His blessing upon us.
I know. This is the post of long quotes.
But I really liked this one. It puts everything into perspective.
“When the wheel stops how will He find us? Finished or unfinished? Unto honour or dishonour? Complete or marred? Has He not frequently almost stopped the wheel, and, finding the vessel marred, has ‘made it again another vessel, as it hath pleased Him’? Many can thank God for the change in their lives, produced through sickness sanctified to their souls.”
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This really hit home this week. Adam’s dad was killed in a work-related accident Saturday. He went to work and planned on going home at the end of his shift.
God called him home, instead.
We aren’t guaranteed one minute more. I could drop dead in the middle of this word.
Are we ready to meet our maker? Have we lost our first love and have things we need to work on? Or are we good to go?
Father God. You are Sovereign God. You deserve our honor and praise. Any words we say, any actions we do, is so much below what You deserve. Yet, You accept our feeble worship when we worship in the way You have told us is acceptable. You forgive us when we genuinely seek Your forgiveness. When we are working to live for You and honor You, You will honor us. Help us live for You. Amen.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
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