1 Chronicles 19:3
“But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?”
Most people like to be honored for the work they have done. Though it may be embarrassing when someone is honoring you, inside most people are thrilled that someone would take the time to honor them. Responding properly when someone is honoring you is very important. Most people don't know how to respond to honor and thereby set up a precedent for others to not honor you. How a person responds to honor may determine whether or not they will be honored again.
David's friend, Nahash died and Hanun, his son, took over the throne. David wanted to honor Nahash, so he sent princes to Hanun to honor and comfort him. The servants of Hanun came to him and gave him wrong advice, which caused him to do a very foolish act. Hanun's foolish response to being honored caused him to look bad to David and ultimately resulted in his defeat to Israel.
At some time or another, if you are doing anything for God, you will be honored for the work that you do. Having a proper response to honor is part of being a good Christian. If anybody ought to respond properly to honor it ought to be Christians. Let me give you a few tips on how to properly respond to being honored.
First, don't discourage the one honoring you. One big mistake I have seen preachers and others being honored make is to tell the people honoring them they shouldn't have done that. This is improper for two reasons. It is improper because the Scriptures command us to honor people who deserve honor. It is also improper because, you are teaching others not to honor people. Never rebuke people for honoring you. Discouraging one who is trying to honor you is wrong.
Secondly, accept the honor. When people honor you accept it and move on. Rejecting something that someone is trying to honor you with is teaching people to be ungrateful for the actions of others. You must realize if someone is honoring you, they took time to think about how they can honor you. If for any reason you should accept the honor it is because someone took time to try and reward you for something they felt you deserved.
Thirdly, don't judge the motives of the person honoring you. Many times we wonder what is behind a person's motive to honor you. Maybe the whole reason they wanted to honor you is because they love you. Stop trying to figure out why a person honored you and accept it for what it is.
Last of all; thank those who have honored you. The proper response to honor is to say, “Thank you.” You will never go wrong by saying, “Thank you.” Sometimes we feel awkward when someone tries to honor us and we don't know how to act. The best way to act is to say, “Thank you.” When the honor is something of value and sacrifice, a simple note after the honor thanking them for what they have done is always proper. Most people fail in this area. Writing a short note of thanks for what someone has done for you doesn't take much time and is the right thing to do.
Having a proper response to honor is something every Christian needs to learn. A proper response to honor will cause others to want to honor you again. Let's be sure as Christians we respond properly to honor.
To contact Evangelist Allen Domelle, send an email to contact@oldpathsjournal.com.
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