How do we honour those who do not love us? How do we honour those who hate us and persecute us? How do we honour those who live in rebellion against Father? First we start by understanding honour.
There is an honour that we give to people in our society when they do something incredible. Recently we have seen the frontline health care workers honoured because of their daily sacrifice and risk on behalf of the sick and suffering. Then there is the honouring we do when someone has gone through unmerited suffering or death, such as those killed recently in Nova Scotia. WE also honour leaders we consider to be great. But a society of honour goes beyond spotlight honour.
A culture based on honour gives honour to everyone who is part of that culture. It comes in the form of attitude, actions and words. We show honour to people simply because they exist, breathe, dream, work, laugh. We recognized they have worth simply because they were created by Father.
In the KIngdom we recognize that everyone is the object of our Father's love. They have the freedom to accept or reject that love but it does not affect Father's love for them. We honour them because of that love. But in what way do we honour them? Is not honouring lifting up their actions and saying their rebellion is okay?
We honour people by recognizing their value to Father. Considering this value, we honour them with the various manifestations of Father's love. We are gentle with them, showing kindness and goodness. We forgive their offenses even if no apology is offered. We are patient with them, refusing to see ourselves better by realizing what we have received from Father when we have not deserved it.
We can start with the very basics: we were all created in the same way by our Father. We all bleed when we are cut. We all have the same insides, have the same need for oxygen, food, water. We all need shelter and clothing. We all need to be loved and to love. We need a sense of belonging, of being needed, of being useful and appreciated.
Those of us who are willing will also recognize our rebellion against Father and our need for forgiveness and restoration. We recognize that while we were still in this rebellion that Jesus paid the price so that this rebellion could be forgiven and we could be restored to Father. This is not for a select few but everyone who decided to believe and enter into the fullness of that relationship. This is the part that becomes important when it comes to honouring.
The only difference between me and my rebellious neighbour is that I decided to surrender my rebellion and align myself with Father's heart through Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. I am a new creation birthed by the Spirit but none of this was because I deserved it or because I worked for it. This was a free gift offered by the grace of my Father. It is because he loves me in the same way he loves my rebellious neighbour which means that free gift is still being held out to my neighbour.
My Father created me the same way he created my neighbour. He loves me in the same way he loves my neighbour. That is not affected by race, colour or creed. When James tells us to honour everyone it was because we were created and are loved in the same way and it is not affected by race, colour or creed. It is given to me, as a citizen of God's Kingdom, a child of my Father, a bearer of his image, to honour everyone.
If this is true then how much more is it my responsibility to honour a fellow citizen? How much more is it my responsibility to stand with them, to pray for them, to celebrate them, to forgive them, to rejoice with them? They are my brothers and sisters and I must honour them at all times.
No matter how you look at it the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of honour and we are citizens of this Kingdom who honour each other and even those who are not yet citizens. We do not judge, we honour, trusting Spirit to teach, mature and guide us in these his ways.
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