Bible Reading: Job 41; 1 Pet 2:17-25
“Honour all men . Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” – 1 Peter 2:17 KJV
Honour means to hold in great respect or think highly of something or someone. “Honour all men” therefore implies thinking highly of all men irrespective of their race, color, tribe, qualification or position. In fact, Phil 2:3 says we should esteem others better than ourselves. This means when we see our messenger, driver, cook, subordinate or our peers, we should treat them with respect. While some may take undue advantage of this, most will come to recognize the strength of God in our lives when we do these things.
Honoring all men means we should honour our spouse, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, in-laws and family. We should hold them in great respect. If we do this, there will not be any instance of a Christian beating his spouse or not attending to the basic needs of his family. This is why 1 Tim 5:8 says a man that cannot provide for his family is worse than an infidel.
Honouring all men implies honouring humanity; recognizing that God created all of us in his own image and has a purpose for every creation. It is honouring all men that made the Good Samaritan to cater for the needs of a stranger he met on his way that was attacked by armed robbers.
Honouring all men means attending to the needs of all our family members and outsiders within our means.
If we “Honour all men”, we will not backbite, we will not gossip, we will not keep malice because none of these shows respect.
Honouring all men also implies giving respect to our leaders at home, at work or in the church. When we are given an assignment, we ensure it is done to the best of our ability and we give our support to whoever our leaders are recognizing that no one can be in any position except God allows it. So Honouring men implies showing love, fearing God and respecting authority as stated in 1 Peter 2:17 KJV, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”
Prayer: Father, I have decided to Honour all men in my dealings; please help me in Jesus name.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero