Honor The Lord

I grew up learning to “honor my father and mother”. I was reminded that things I did or said brought either honor or shame to my family.  My last name should mean something in the small community where I lived growing up.

As I grew up and grew closer to the Lord, I realized that when I wear Jesus’ name, I’m either bringing honor or shame to His name. My actions and the activities of my life matter to the Lord. He wants me to honor Him. Paul said as much to the church at Rome. It’s easier to say this than do this. Check this out….

⁷ For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. ⁸ If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. (Romans 14:7-9 NLT)

When I chose to marry, I chose to put another above myself.

When I became a Dad, I chose to put another above myself.

When I began to understand leadership, I was choosing to put others above myself.

As I follow the Lord, I choose to put others ahead of me.

I was thinking about life and death a day or so ago. (I know this is morbid to some.) I think as I get older, I think of how this life will end for me more often. Death is very disruptive to life. If someone close to me dies suddenly, it really rattles my world.  When someone close to me experiences death, I hurt deeply for them. When death is a surprise or sudden, it shakes me. I’m reminded that the death rate here on earth is 100%. The question about death for all of us is ”when”.

I think Paul was encouraging the believers at Rome to honor the Lord with their lives, so that when death comes, the Lord will be honored in their death because of how they lived.  I want to keep thinking like that. I want to live my life to bring honor to the Lord, so that when I die, the people who knew me will know that I loved the Lord and sought to honor Him with my life.

Pressing On!

Dwayne