Honor Who

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

HONOR WHO

John 7:14-19

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?" 16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" 
NIV

There most of been men of that time who went around speaking to gain honor for themselves, teaching and preacher to gain followers for they own benefit. It seems that even today we might well have the same kind of people doing the same thing, speaker for the own gain, rather than for the honor of God. It is evident in this believer’s life, there is no talent whatsoever, other than the gift that has been bestowed upon him by God. This of course does not excuse all of us from speaking the truth about God, but we must do it in a manner that does not bring honor to us. Those who have a ministry of performance in some musical capacity might become distracted by all the applause given for their performance, even if their intent is ministry rather than performing. Preachers might get distracted from bringing honor to God, by all the well-intended compliments of how great a message it was. We must be very careful not to accept praise for what we do as ministry and even in our work within the world. This is not easy as we all seem to have been raised to work our best so we can advance our position in life. We want to be recognized for our achievements, praised for our great work, but unless we give honor to God for the way we are, the diligence we give to our work, our life, our ministry, we might be guilty of speaking on our own so to gain honor for ourselves.  We need to always bring honor to Jesus, always speaking both verbally and in the actions of our lives about the truth of God, but with the singular purpose of bringing honor to God.  We need to know to whom it is we honor.