HONOR ON TWO LEVELS
2 CORINTHIANS 8:21
2 CORINTHIANS 8:21 NKJ
21 providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
In this chapter, Paul is talking about handling a large monetary gift. They were collecting an offering for the churches in Judea that were under a great amount of pressure.
Paul references doing things in an honorable way. The word honorable here means good, noble, well doing. This is not a word that we see increasing in its usage. It is often used in titles, especially a judge, but in everyday vernacular, it is not a common word.
And yet honor is a big word to God and used about fifty times in the New Testament alone. Honor was one of the ten commandments. Honor your mother and father. If there is anyone who personifies honor, it's God. And if there is anyone who deserves our honor, it's God. So, to do things in an honorable way before God is top priority.
But Paul did not stop there. He also talked about doing things in an honorable way before men. The objective is to be handling our transactions in such a way that we are honorable in the sight of God, who sees everything, to being honorable in the sight of men with their limited perspective. The word honor may not be popular, but the essence of honor before God and man is a worthy goal.
APPLICATION
Living honorably before God and man is not always the easiest path. Over the years, I have had to make decisions that did not benefit me and the church. But for the sake of doing things honorably, we took the hit. Early in the church's history, we got into a disputed real estate deal. We could have not paid and been honest before God. However, when I prayed about it, I felt strongly impressed to obey the letter of the law and pay up. It turned out for our good. We were out some money, but the reputation we started in the community was one of honor. By no means have I been perfect in this area, so I can't blow my horn too much. But we have a goal, honorable before God and man in all our transactions. The long-term benefits of that aim have helped us over the years with the city and those we do business with. Honor on two levels sets a standard, a worthy standard to shoot for.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help me know how to live honorably before You first and before men. Help me represent You well.