Honoring People

The King will reply,

‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the
least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

Matthew 25:40

“Mother Teresa always remembered these words of Jesus. She said that she saw the face of Jesus in the face of each sick and dying person she helped. She asked the whole world to look for Jesus’ face there, too.”

These words have been very convicting to me lately. It is so easy to get caught up in our own little world and look down on those who think, or act differently than we do. God calls us to so much more than that. We have been forgiven of so much, and yet we hold it in for ourselves and forget to share that love and honor and grace for others who are loved by God just as much as we are. What would it look like if we actually saw Jesus’ face in every person we crossed paths with?

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men,
who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My
brothers, this should not be.

James 3:9-10

We are all made in the image of God, not just those who are easy to talk to and who share our common interests. Author and speaker Bob Goff calls those we don’t want to be around the “creepy people”. He gladly welcomes such people into his life, knowing they hold value and add meaning and color to his life. He says, “Every time we see people as ordinary, we turn the wine back into water.” Wow! How many times have I done that? God sees every person as a unique, highly valued individual whom He created with a purpose, and He is asking us to do the same. I confess that I am a selfish person. It does not come naturally for me to think of others’ needs before my own, to offer up my time for someone who is hurting, to give generously to someone in need, to leave space for those “interruptions” rather than being annoyed by them, to say “no” to myself so I can say “yes” to someone else. But didn’t Jesus do it all the time?? He could hardly get alone time with God His Father or with His disciples because the crowds were always hounding Him down.

He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a Shepherd (Matthew 9:36). What amazes me is He knew they were mostly seeking Him only for what He could do for them, not because they just wanted to be with Him. Yet He still made time for them anyway. How great is His love and compassion!

We can also learn from Jesus in the way He “saw” people, like the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, Simon the tax collector who was up in the tree, the woman who bled for twelve years, the lepers, the blind man, those whom the world considered unworthy. Those whom the religious leaders considered unclean. Jesus went up to them, He touched them, He spoke to them, He listened to them, and He changed their lives… forever. That is what love and honor looks like.

When God created us, He not only made us in His image, but He also meant for us to reflect the perfect love relationship the trinity shares as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He didn’t create or need mankind to feel “complete”. He was already complete. He wanted to share the amazing love they have for each other with us His creatures. However, He doesn’t want us to simply receive that love and hold onto it for ourselves; He wants us to share it with a lost and dying world and with our fellow believers in Christ. We are His ambassadors, called to love others just as Jesus loved us enough to die for us when we were dead in our sins.

Self Reflection

A natural outflow of spending more time in God’s presence should be that our hearts are softened to those around us.

Do we love them enough to sacrifice our own wants and desires to share the love of Christ with them in both words, actions, and time? Do we have a sense of urgency to show Jesus’ love to the lost and hurting? If hearing these words stirs up trouble in our hearts, perhaps it is time to do a little soul searching:

Is there a hurt I am holding onto from that person that is keeping me from giving myself to them in love?

Am I protecting my heart because I have been burned in the past?

Do I have trouble receiving God’s forgiveness for me, and in turn maybe I have trouble forgiving someone else?

Am I afraid to give up control of my time, money, and resources and offer it all to God
because I’m afraid people will walk all over me and use me?

Am I believing any lies about my ability to help someone or talk to them about God?

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests,
but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-5

Ahhh humility. There it is. When we recognize this life is not all about us, it changes everything about the way we view other people. Walking in humility means we die to our own wants and desires, submit to the Lord’s plans, and offer ourselves up to Him. God is looking for those who are willing to play a part in His plan in whatever ways He chooses. When we take ourselves off the throne in our lives and look at others the way Jesus does:

We are willing to let go of the hurt and leave it at the foot of the cross.
We are willing to let God be our Protector and Healer.
We are willing to accept God’s forgiveness of us and in turn readily forgive others.
We are willing to recognize we are not in control and God’s sovereign plan is so much better
than ours.
We learn to recognize the lies and choose to walk in God’s truth instead.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above
yourselves.

Romans 12:10

The word “devoted” in this verse means “to think or set the mind on” according to blueletterbible.com. In other words, we are called to think or set our minds on one another in brotherly love. This is a very purposeful statement. It is not a passive command, but rather a call to action.

I think of newlyweds and how devoted they are to spending time with each other and looking for ways to encourage and uplift each other. That is the kind of devotion this verse is referring to. It’s not just when we feel like it, but rather our lives are to be defined by this kind of intentional brotherly love.

The next phrase says, “Honor one another above yourselves.” This is so counter cultural in America. We hear things like “have it your way”; “if it feels good, do it”; and “mine, mine, mine”. Purposely choosing to honor someone else above ourselves means being willing to wait, to let someone else go first, to listen to the old man tell the same story for the 100 th time, to listen to the needs that are out there and do something about it, and to be generous with our time, our money, and our efforts. This has been very convicting to me in recent months, especially in a world that is so divisive.
Am I only willing to make time for those who think and talk and look like me, or am I willing to make time for everyone God places in my path? To maybe even go out of my way to honor those I wouldn’t normally spend time with?
What about our aging parents? What about that co-worker that gets under our skin? What about that child having a temper tantrum in the store? What about that frustrated mom who maybe just needs someone to listen to her? What about that angry clerk? What about that neighbor who rubs us the wrong way?
Do we take it personally when someone seems to avoid us or dismiss us easily? Maybe instead of getting easily offended, we can stop and pray for them, and remember they might be dealing with something difficult that has nothing to do with us. We can ask them how they are doing. We can take the first step and do something nice for them. Some people just need a smile, a hug, or a listening ear over a cup of coffee.

What ways can you choose to honor the people in your life this week or this holiday season? Will you let the daily annoyances get in the way of intentionally devoting yourself to love those around you and honoring them above yourself? What is God calling you into at this time? Let us remember the love and honor Jesus showed to so many and be willing to love others with the same love we have received from Him. Jesus took the time, no matter what it cost Him, and He didn’t care what others thought of Him. He showed honor to those the world discarded. May we be willing to do the same and honor all the people God places in our daily lives.

“Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit
and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance
of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy
presence in my soul.”

Mother Teresa