Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ROMANS 12:9-17 NLT
How to live an honorable life:
Honor people when they don’t deserve it and despite their inadequacies
So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him. “God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!” “No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!” 1 SAMUEL 26:7-11 NLT
Be first and be quick to apologize
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. MATTHEW 7:5 NIV
Make allowances for one another’s faults
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. COLOSSIANS 3:12-13 NLT
Have reverence for those that God has placed in charge of you
Who has God placed in charge of you?
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth.” EPHESIANS 6:1-3 NIV
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. HEBREWS 13:17 NLT
- Your Government Officials
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 1 PETER 2:17 NIV
Stop dishonoring people on social media
Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 2 TIMOTHY 2:14 NASB
The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble. 1 SAMUEL 26:23-24 NIV
My Notes
Personal Reflection Guide
Take a moment to quiet yourself before God. Invite him into this time, removing any distractions that might pull for your attention. When you are ready, ask God to show you the areas where you practice honor, as well as those areas where you are falling short. Spend time in this place; as you wait patiently on God to reveal his truth in this area, stay with this question in patient persistence. In what areas do you feel convicted? Ask God to show you the steps you need to take to change course. Is it an apology? An adjustment of your perspective? Ask God to change your heart to reflect more of his heart for this person, or these people, so that you might love them more like he does. As you do this, remind yourself of God’s heart toward you, in spite of your own faults. Embrace his love for you, asking God to make his love more real for you. Close your time by thanking God for loving you in spite of your deficiencies, and take steps this week to practice honor even (and especially) when it seems difficult to do so. As you do, pay attention to what happens inside of you, including God in that self-reflective process. As you practice honor this week, may you experience a deeper intimacy with God and others, and may you experience God’s grace and love toward you.
Discussion Questions
- What have you been learning about yourself, God or others in your personal Bible reading time? What stood out to you this week?
- Read Romans 12:9-17. When you think about the concept of living an honorable life, what attributes, traits or behaviors come to mind and why do you think that is?
- Read Colossians 3:12-13. In general, would the people closest to you say you focus more on faults or forgiveness and why? If faults, what do you think is at the root of this and in what practical ways might your life be different if you started focusing more on forgiveness? If forgiveness, what practical things help you forgive others and make allowance for their faults?
- Read 1 Samuel 26:7-11. In this passage we see David honoring Saul even when Saul had repeatedly dishonored him and even sought to harm and kill him. When have you been able to honor someone even when they didn’t deserve it and what happened as a result?
- Read Matthew 7:1-5. When was the last time you were the first to act in humility and proactively apologized to someone? Is there anyone with whom you might need to take the first steps of forgiveness this week?
- Read 1 Samuel 26:23-24. What parts of your life and behavior today might be seen as dishonorable, what is it costing those around you and what can you do this week to begin to make changes to find the rewards of living a more honorable life?
