When the Holy Spirit inspired the title for this blog post I thought that it would go in a different direction initially. In the midst of thinking about what to write to address the Spirit of Honor, my family suffered the tragic loss of my Step-Father - Mr. John E. Walker. In the days that followed this loss, the Spirit began to speak to my heart again in regards to the Spirit of Honor and what to include in this blog post.
The Word of God admonishes us to . . . "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12 NLT)
God reminded me of the above scripture and reminded me of the simple fact that the time that I took to shut everything down in my own life to be at my Mom's side, for as long as she needed me, didn't go unnoticed by Him. I also watched intently as my Mom took the time to take care of every detail for the arrangements and desired to ensure that she was truly honoring her husband and his final wishes.
This was not the first time that I had watched my Mom in this role of honoring my Step-Father, but it got me to thinking . . . How many of us wait until the moment of laying our loved one to their final resting place to honor them?
This post is not about grieving or death, but it is about life and living. I want to encourage you to take the time to operate in the Spirit of Honor on a daily basis. Don't take one day for granted. The Spirit of Honor seeks to appreciate and invest time into those that God has set in our path. It causes us to think of the needs of others before ourselves. When you make it a point to operate out of the Spirit of Honor, those that God has placed in your path will have no doubt about the love and care that you have for them. Walking in the Spirit of Honor demonstrates openly to everyone around you that the Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are at work in your life.
As children of the Most High God, we always seek to reflect His nature in all that we do; so we must allow God to integrate a Spirit of Honor into the core of who we are. And I will challenge you again . . . seek to honor those outside of just your family or good friends. Honor those who you labor with in ministry, those you work with, or even a stranger. You don't know how your one act of kindness could change the trajectory of their lives. Have your ears and heart open to the Holy Spirit and follow His instructions on who, what, when, and where.
Your act of honor can be as simple or as grand as your heart desires. It could be as simple as a handwritten note or could be as grand as blessing someone with the trip of a lifetime. Whatever you set your heart to do . . . do it TODAY! Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. Don't miss the opportunity afforded you today to honor those around you.
