Don’t Go Hunting for Honor

Bible Reading: Luke 14:7-11

"For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored"
- (Luke 14:11, NLT).



There's a story told of a famous man called Principal Cairns who was so humble that he would never even enter a room first. He would always stand aside and say to his companions, "You first, I follow."

On one occasion, this man was among the honored guests at some public event. As he stepped onto the platform, the audience saw Cairns and erupted in applause.

Upon hearing their applause, he stopped in his tracks. He motioned for the man behind him to go first, assuming the clapping and cheering was for that man. He then stood back and joined the applause. He never dreamed the applause could be for him.

Of course, such sincere humility impressed people, and brought even greater honor to Principal Cairns. That's sort of what Jesus meant when he said, "The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored" (Luke 14:11, NLT). When you act like you think you're big and important, it can be embarrassing to find out that you're not as big or not as important as you thought. But when you're humble, and let other people get the applause and attention, you may be surprised at how much people appreciate you and honor you.

Hunters will tell you that it's better not to peer into the woods and brush, trying to see a deer (or whatever it is you're hunting); instead, you should keep a wide "field of vision," not trying to focus too tightly on anything, because it's easier to see small movements out of the corner of your eye. In other words, the harder you look, the less likely you are to see what you're
looking for. It's kind of the same with humility and honor. If you go hunting for compliments and applause, you're less likely to get it; but if you're not looking too hard, you might be surprised at the honor that will come your way.

Review: Jesus was a guest in a Pharisee's house when he spoke the words found in Luke 14:7-11; to find out a little more about the Pharisees (and Jesus' views on pride and position) see Matthew 23:1-12.

Reflect: Do you ever "go hunting" for compliments? For attention? For applause? Do you want to be more like the guests at the banquet (in Luke 14), who competed for position, or like Jesus, who "did not demand and cling to his rights as God [but] made himself nothing" and humbled himself (Philippians 2:6-8)? What are some ways you can do that?

Reinforce: Try to imitate Principal Cairns today by letting others enter a room before you, perhaps even telling them, "You first, I follow."

Remember: "For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored" (Luke 14:11, NLT).

Prayer : Almighty and everlasting Father in Heaven, Help us to humble ourselves and do our duty sincerely with the fear of God and we know that you will lift us up. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."

The Thief Who Was Robbed

"Be sure your sin will find you out" - (Numbers 32:23). 

Zig Zigler, well-known motivational speaker tells the story about a thief who was robbed. The incident took place back in 1887 in a small neighborhood grocery store when a middle-aged gentleman, Emanuel Nenger, gave the assistant a currency note to pay for the turnip greens he was purchasing. When the assistant placed the note in the cash drawer she noticed that some of the ink from the $20 came off on her hands, which were wet from wrapping the turnip greens.

She'd known Mr. Nenger for years and was shocked. She ponders, "Is this man giving me a counterfeit $20 note?" She dismissed the thought immediately and gave him his change. But $20 was a lot of money in those days so she notified the police who, after procuring a search warrant, went to Emanuel Nenger's home where they found in his attic the tools he was using to reproduce the counterfeit $20 notes. They found an artist's easel, paint brushes, and paints which Nenger was using to meticulously paint the counterfeit money. He was a master artist.

The police also found three portraits that Nenger had painted— paintings that sold at public auction for a little over $16,000! The irony was that it took him almost as much time to paint a $20 note as it did to paint those portraits that sold for more than $5,000 each.

The man who robbed Emanuel Nenger was Emmanuel Nenger. We do the same whenever we cheat or break the law—including God's laws—for illegitimate gain. And while most of us wouldn't rob another person of his or her material possessions, it is very easy to rob a person's reputation through idle gossip.

We also rob and cheat ourselves when we don't give to God and to others in need ... whether it is of our time, talents, resources, or love.

Prayer: "Our Eternal Loving Father in Heaven, help me never to rob myself, or from any person in any way. And help me never to rob from you. Help me, too, to be a giver and not a taker. Gratefully, In Jesus loving Name I Pray, Amen."

Meat Loaf, the Mother Ship, and God

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4: 20 - 28

Do not steal. - Exodus 20:15



You go to a friend's house for dinner. When it's time to eat, you head for the bathroom to wash up, but your friend says, "Skip it. We never wash our hands before eating." Your friend's behavior would probably make you think:

(a) Your own family is weird for washing up before every meal.

(b) Your friend's family must keep their hands really clean between meals.

(c) You'd better not eat the meat loaf.

You sit beside a lady on the bus. She hands you a roll of aluminum foil and whispers, "The alien invasion starts at noon tomorrow. Use this to signal the Mother Ship." Her statement prompts you to conclude:

(a) You should skip school and wait for the Mother Ship.

(b) She's probably a spy and mistook you for her "contact."

(c) This lady is a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

You ascend a great big mountain in a vast desert. God meets you there and gives you ten commandments, one of which says: "You shall not steal." You figure that

(a) God needs a better speech writer;

(b) God's making this stuff up off the top of his head;

(c) God values trustworthiness.

If you didn't answer (c) for each of the above, we need to have a talk, especially about the third scenario. You see, a lot of people understand that God said, "You shall not steal." But they don't understand why God said that. They know stealing is wrong, but they don't understand why it's wrong. They know God's not so keen on the idea of swiping a few dollars from your brother's dresser drawer, but they don't know why God has such a problem with it.

The eighth commandment, "Do not steal," was not just thrown into the Ten Commandments because God thought, Hey, that's a good one, let's throw it in there. He included that one because it communicates something very important: God wants us to be trustworthy because he values trustworthiness. He values trustworthiness because he is trustworthy. The eighth commandment reveals an important truth about God: He is a trustworthy God, and he wants us to reflect his nature and character.

REFLECT: The eighth commandment reveals God as a trustworthy God. Can you think of other reasons to believe that he is trustworthy? Do you trust him? Why or why not?

Prayer: "Our Loving Heavenly Father God, I thank you for being trustworthy. Help me place my trust in you. And enable me to be trustworthy, too, especially when I_______." Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."

The Impact of the Spoken Word

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" - (Proverbs 15:1, NIV). 

"Researchers at Kenyon College conducted a test in cooperation with the US Navy. The purpose was to discover how the tone of the voice affected sailors when they were given orders. The experiments revealed that the way a person was addressed determined to a large extent the kind of response he would make. For example, when an individual was spoken to in a soft voice, he would answer in a similar manner. But when he was shouted at, his reply came back in the same sharp tone. This was true whether the communication was given face-to-face, over the intercom, or by telephone."

With yellers there is a tendency to yell back at him or her. However, other research has shown that if we answer a yeller softly in a soft tone of voice, he will have to lean forward to hear what we are saying and tend to lower his own volume—proving the truth of what the Bible taught so long ago: "A gentle answer turns away wrath."

Richard De Haan wisely said, "What we say and how we say it not only makes a difference in the reaction we'll receive, but it also determines whether conflict or peace will result. Many arguments could be avoided and tense situations relaxed if we understood [and practiced] this truth."

Prayer: "Almighty God, please help me in all situations to remain calm and peaceful and learn always when I speak to speak the truth in love. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus loving Name I Pray, Amen."