You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour (Psalm 8:5|ESV)

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour (Romans 12:10|ESV)

Definition: To honour is to recognize, to acknowledge, to express the esteem, the worth, giving weight and respect to someone.

Honour is the culture of God’s kingdom

The culture of honour to a person is what soil is to a seed. It is the basis of kingdom culture and a foundational component that we as kingdom citizens value and choose to live by. It is not enough to know where we going, we need to know who we are becoming along the way.

To honour God’s original idea for humanity is to grasp that the God of the universe is mindful of us, respects and holds us in high regard, thus honour is already embedded in our identity, in who we are and how God sees us. It should flow naturally. 

When we as a Body live with a culture of honour this is based on mutual love and respect for each other where our actions towards each other are Christ-centred, so we emulate the love of Christ and treat each other with honour. 

How can we build a culture of honour in relationships?

God has given us a blueprint for how we should handle our relationships. These relationships are based on values (Colossians 3:18-21|ESV). If we were to live out this culture of honour this will lead to fewer if any fragmented relationships in society. 

God centred relationship require authenticity. ‘Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth’ (1 John 3:18|ESV). 

When we honour others we treat them as we would treat Jesus – Bill Johnson

The purpose of the parables in this chapter Matthew 25:35-40 is a mandate to us on ways that we can show compassion and care for people. 

How can we start to build a culture of honour practically? 

Building a culture of honour may seem difficult because our human instincts will tell us to respect those that respect us. But we must be able to foster and nurture growth and honouring others better than ourselves. ‘Honour everyone’ (1 Peter 2:17|ESV)

When we begin to see everyone as the ‘imago Dei’ (image bearers) created in the image of God it becomes easier to honour everyone. 

Questions to reflect on:

How can we thrive and grow by putting God at the centre of our relationships with those in our community?  

How do you treat your enemies and people you do not agree with?