Restoring a lost virtue in our lives and in the household of faith.

“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

None of us has graduated from the need to live with honor. We sometimes forget what we know. We also sometimes forget to practice what we know. Thank God for the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who brings truth back to our remembrance.

This world is too casual with what matters most. Words are cheap, commitments are optional, and sacred things are often treated as ordinary. Honor has become a lost virtue. What should especially sadden our hearts is when honor is lost among God’s people. When honor disappears, people get wounded, sacred things become commonplace, and the Church loses the strength of its witness. Without honor, we might as well become another social club. Honor is the language of God’s Kingdom.

First Peter 2:17 gives us a complete picture in one verse: “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” Honor reaches upward to God. It reaches outward to people. It reaches inward throughout the family of faith. If we belong to the King of Kings, honor should become visible in the way we live.

HONOR REACHES UPWARD TO GOD

Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” To honor God is to recognize His weightiness, holiness, and majesty. God does not become better because we praise Him, and He certainly does not suffer from low self-esteem. We worship Him because He is already worthy.

A low view of God leads to a light treatment of God. Eli’s sons handled sacred things so often that the sacred became common to them. Familiarity replaced reverence, and it did not end well (1 Samuel 2:22-30). We must never allow familiarity with church, worship, Scripture, or the presence of God to make holy things seem ordinary.

When God becomes weighty in our lives, worship deepens, sin is taken seriously, and grace is treasured. Honor shows up in what we give God first: our attention, time, resources, and obedience. We say God comes first, but sometimes our schedules reveal otherwise. We call Jesus Lord, but then linger before obeying His commands. We squeeze God into the margins rather than placing Him at the center.

The clearest way to honor God is to honor His Son. Jesus said that all should “honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). We honor Jesus by receiving Him as Savior and following Him as Lord. If He is truly Lord, we cease being the boss of our lives. God wants more than casual admiration or an occasional amen. He is worthy of our complete allegiance.

HONOR REACHES OUTWARD TO PEOPLE

Scripture never allows us to separate reverence for God from respect for people. The Holy Spirit gives us no qualifier. He does not tell us to honor only respectable, agreeable, or like-minded people. He tells us to honor all people because every person bears God’s image and Jesus died to redeem sinners.

Honor does not require agreement. It does require us to treat others as human beings made in the image of God. In a world trained by algorithms to reward agreement and cancel disagreement, Scripture still says, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). Honor confronts our pride. Pride competes for control, protects its position, and insists on being first. Honor chooses humility.

Some of the younger men I play disc golf with insist on calling me “Mr. William.” I once asked them to drop the “Mr.” One of them explained, “My daddy taught me to respect people.” I may not need the title, but I appreciate the heart behind it. More importantly, most of those men do not know me primarily as their pastor. That makes the course another place where my Christian witness matters. Before I arrive, I remind myself that these are people God loves. I must treat them with honor, whether I throw well that day or not. Honor asks, “How can I serve? How can I help? How can I listen?”

Here is the hard truth: You cannot consistently dishonor people while claiming to honor God. Is there someone you have been dishonoring with your words, tone, facial expressions, or attitude? Is the Holy Spirit calling you to see that person differently? Honor is practiced, not merely felt. It costs time, ego, and comfort, but it reflects the heart of Christ.

HONOR REACHES INWARD THROUGH THE FAMILY OF FAITH

Every local church has a culture. That culture is shaped by what we repeatedly permit, practice, and celebrate. The culture of Harvest must be shaped by honor. The Spirit tells us to “love the brotherhood.” We are responsible for how we speak about, serve, and remain committed to the family of God, even when things are imperfect.

A culture of honor does not mean we will always agree. It means we refuse to dishonor one another when we disagree. Honor allows differences without division. Churches are rarely destroyed by the woodpeckers without; it is the termites within that do the most damage. When honor is missing, criticism becomes casual, conversations move into secret messages, gossip grows, and small offenses become mountains.

But when honor governs a church family, people feel safe to grow, leaders can lead, correction can be received, and unity becomes our testimony. People outside the Church begin to see that Jesus comes first among us. Because we honor Him as King, we can love the household of faith and carry that same honor into the world.

Honor is revealed in how we worship, how we treat people, how we serve His Church, and how we remain faithful when everything does not suit us. This kind of honor must never become commonplace. It should remain one of the most visible features of our life together.

SURRENDER IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF HONOR

Is Jesus truly honored as the center of your life? Is there someone you need to begin treating with honor? Is your service strengthening the household of faith, or are you merely consuming what others provide? These are not questions for someone else. They are questions the Spirit asks each of us.

For some, the needed response is repentance and realignment. For others, the first step is honoring the Son by surrendering your life to Him as Savior and Lord. Let us speak the language of honor fluently through our worship, relationships, and faithful service. Let us honor God, honor all people, and love the family of faith. And let us begin again by surrendering to Jesus Christ, because surrender is the highest form of honor.