Thoughts on Honor

Yesterday morning I had the joy of leading worship at our Gold River campus. Everything was great and again it is always encouraging to see the members of our family at different campuses! The Gold River campus was finishing up the series on alignment, so we had the pleasure of learning from Pastor Naomi. As she walked through the issue of being in alignment with Gods word in how we honor, I have been encouraged to do so. Jason had just finished a sermon series with our youth on honor so it has been something that I have been looking at over the last month. I know that God has called me to honor in many different ways and I am so thankful that His word is so clear. As we honor, life is released, and we are rewarded. So as Naomi has put it yesterday, honor is not performance based it is identity based. So no matter what we think of the people we need to honor we still are called to honor them. Our bosses/teachers, our government, our parents and our church leadership. I don't think that this has been a hard issue for me since taking an undercover course in my first year of Pacific Masters Commission, but it is something that we all need to be continually practising. So here it goes!

Well lucky for me, I can group my Church level of authority and my work level of authority in the same group!

Pastor Scott: I just want to honor you for all that you do in our church, the late nights, the early mornings and hours of thought, prayer and devotion. Thank you for sharing your heart and your dreams with us. Thank you for being a fair, encouraging and inspiring person to work for. I know that my life is changed because of the way you have taught me, pushed me and walked out in front of me the way, to a person of the word. Thank you for your leadership, your friendship and the weight that you carry for me and the whole church family every day.

Pastor Naomi: Thank you for being such a wonderful example of a Godly woman, wife and mother. You have taught me so much that I hold so dear. Your heart inspires me to seek after God with all that I am. Thank you for your continual encouragement, your prayers, your vision and your desire to see God move in my life as well as the lives of others. I honor you for the hard days, the long days and the times when being a leader means sacrifice. I appreciate all that you have done. May you and your family be blessed as you have been a blessing!

Government is something I don't know a lot about, to be honest, but I know that no matter what they do or decide that God has placed them in my life for a reason. So thank you God for our government and may you continue to draw them to yourself. I pray that all would go well with them and their families. May we all grow in honor by speaking well of our government, and start to pray for them that God's blessing would be released in their lives.

My Parents! Well I know that I have it pretty good and it is very easy to honor you!
Mom: Thank you first of all for giving me life! Without that well.. I wouldn't be here.. ha ha! But thank you for always being there for me, for putting me first for all these years. For the days that it was hard and that times that were tough thank you for protecting me, and guiding me. I want to honor you for being my mom. You are so great, and I am who I am, because of the mom you are, and all that you have done. I honor you for putting God's way and plan before your own. I know that it is hard and I know that you miss home, but know that you will be so blessed because you are honoring His word and His ways before yours and that is so inspiring! I love you and thank you!

Dad: Thank you for being my dad when you didn't have to. Thank you for choosing to be an involved father who has cared, loved and shown such dedication through the years. Thank you for providing for me through the years, Thank you for praying for me, pushing me and challenging me to thinking outside the box. I am inspired by your faith and all that God has done in your life. Know that He is so proud of where you are and where you have come from. I honor you for being who you are all the time! I honor you for being my dad and always putting me first. I love you and thank you for everything.

Dave and Carla: Thank you for excepting me into your family. Thank you for the parents that you are and the wonderful son that you have shared with me. I honor you for your faith, your love and your hearts. May God bless you in every area, as much as you have blessed, Jason and I.

Dad and Cheryl: You have always been there and I want to honor you for all that you have done. I thank you and appreciate your love, your support and who you are as parents. Dad, thank you for giving me life and always loving me and supporting me. Cheryl thank you for treating me like your own and always being so encouraging. I love you guys and thank you so much for everything.

Husband: I love you so much and I just want to honor you for your leadership in our lives. For leading us in the way that we should go, for praying for us and our future and dreaming big dreams. I am so excited for the journey that we have started and I know that the best is yet to come. Thank you for supporting me, loving me and being the best husband ever. You inspire me to run after Him, to dream bigger and believe for more. I honor you for all that you are and all that you have become. I love you!

May we all take the time out of our day to honor, those over us and those that we see everyday. Open the door for someone, be polite, or say thank you. The rewards for honor are more than we can comprehend, this is what God is calling us to.