Gaining Honor

August 31

What comes before honor? In man’s play book for success, the answers to that question include, hard work, resolute determination, persistence, aggressive pursuit of the goals desired, willingness to go the extra mile, the insight and intellect to enable ones efforts to exceed the best efforts of the competition.

Successful, powerful people are the ones whose diligence enables them to gain an early lead and to maintain it against stiff competition. Successful people have also been known to break the rules when maintaining them might have resulted in surrendering the edge to someone else.

The forerunner in any contest must of necessity in the ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of commerce, industry, and government be willing to be ruthless if he is to attain the pinnacle of success and to stay there. To achieve the gold ring, to attain the prize, to wear the winner’s crown demands ‘whatever it takes.’

But, that’s not how God sees it. In His play book for success the exact opposite is true. In I Peter 5:6 we are told, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time.” This honor cannot be lost in competition, for each man gains it only by humbling himself before Jesus.