Honor means to hold in high esteem, to regard with great respect, to revere, to deem valuable and worthy. Honor can be applied in many ways to many things. Honor is an attitude that must come from the heart. And since there are many forms and ways to honor, I believe there are various degrees of honor.
I believe the greatest form of honor is submission. Submission is coupled in obedience, compliance and conformity. Submission is surrender and a giving in to. It’s through submission that we can receive salvation. And it’s through submission that God’s word operates in its entirety.
We’ve realized that the only way to experience victorious Christian living is through submission. James 4:17 states, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The prerequisite to resisting the Devil is a heart that truly falls in line with God’s heart. It’s a heart that knows how to honor God!
So, if the greatest form of honor is submission; then I believe the greatest form of submission is death. Death reduces submission to its lowest common denominator. Death is the ultimate and decisive form of submission.
For what it’s worth, it’s our duty and calling to honor God. Our honor is fully demonstrated through submission and our submission is ultimately exemplified in a dying to self. The fact is the more we die to self, the more we come alive in Christ. Jesus is in the resurrection business. Whatever we put to death he resurrects in glory.
This is the way I’ve been seeing it… Honor comes from us and glory comes from God. When we honor God, he responds by sending His glory to us. These two words are scripturally synonymous. Our action brings about His reaction. When honor is in its maximum, it’s founded in submission. And when submission is operating in its greatest extent, we find death. And God does his best work in death. He loves to glorify all that dies for Him!
