YOU ARE MARKED FOR HONOUR


By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi
John 12:26 KJV “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”
 Mal 1:6-8 TLB "A son honors his father, a servant honors his master. I am your Father and Master, yet you don't honor me, O priests, but you despise my name." "Who? Us?" you say. "When did we ever despise your name?"   "When you offer polluted sacrifices on my altar." "Polluted sacrifices? When have we ever done a thing like that?" "Every time you say, 'Don't bother bringing anything very valuable to offer to God!'  You tell the people, 'Lame animals are all right to offer on the altar of the Lord-yes, even the sick and the blind ones.' And you claim this isn't evil? Try it on your governor sometime-give him gifts like that-and see how pleased he is! …”
       The word ‘honour’ used  in John12:26  is the Greek word  ‘timao’ it means to prize, i.e. fix a valuation upon; by implication, to revere. Serving God genuinely from the heart leads to added value and reverence . Respect is earned through service; and varies according to the quality of one’s service.  Reverence is key to survival in a very competitive world. It is the desire for reverence that many seek titles from communities, churches, schools and seek political office. Yet true honour is still farfetched .Human title holders are among the most frustrated members of society. The honour from man cannot be compared to God’s honour.
           We have a role to play as enumerated in Malachi 1:6-8 the priests were scolded for not teaching God’s people the principles of honour. As a result there was frustration in the land , like it is in the modern church today ; this is more manifest  in marriages .For example ,forty years ago ,with less Churches in Africa , honour was the order of the  day  ; the upbringing of a child was the collective responsibility of the community , family honour was more prized than  material wealth , marriage was sacred and had the support of the entire community  and it was easier to be married ; there were less divorces (less than 5%) crime rate was very low and less diseases .Yet they had less money.  This was as a result of the culture of honouring God in all aspects of life. The teachings in our churches back then placed honour for God, the community and ones parents above anything else. Then  in the late 70’s a culture that celebrated and rewarded dishonor  was introduced to the church through politicians (military coups)  and the entertainment industry , and till date we can see the same pervading the land with women being hard hit –they are portrayed as mere objects of pleasure in musical videos , movies ,magazines ,clubs etc. The result is not farfetched with the marriage institution on the verge of extinction and increase in suicidal tendencies. Young people now consider it trendy to rebel against elders while in actual sense it is a taboo before God (Eph 6:1-3,1Tim5:17,19)  
         The teaching that money brings honour  is far from true ,that’s why the rich seek for chieftaincy titles or political offices . Money is of no value without divine honour . The honour that comes  from God is without money and priceless and according to Malachi1:6-8 it comes into manifestation only when we offer God our very best .God does not want our leftovers of energy, time and money.  Shortchanging God in our giving adds no value to our lives. We must not always wait when it is convenient before we can support our local assemblies financially. You may volunteer to serve during your leisure time.  Families with a culture of giving quality time to reading the bible, prayer, energy and money to missionary work are more honorable. They are stable, healthier and happier .The rule concerning divine service is simple, whatever cannot be offered to your governor is not good enough for God’s service (Malachi1:8).
Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive grace for uncommon promotion in Jesus name.
Prayer/free counseling +2348035536911,+2348098536911 email:michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com

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