For Glory and Honor

Greetings from Sunny California! 
Besides being completely befuddled seeing pumpkins and cider in the stores--when it's so warm and sunny outside--I am enjoying my time in California.  It's a great privilege to be here. 

The second week we were here, we began partaking of some of the day-to-day richness of the life of Bethel Church.  And one of the joys of that week, was getting to hear teaching from Paul Manwaring--a senior member of the pastoral staff.  We'd heard him before, but not very much and it was a real treat to listen to his wisdom twice in one day.  He has written a book, which I plan to begin reading tonight, about the subject of Glory.  What is it?  What does it do?  Who has it? 

One of the subjects that comes up all the time when I am teaching about inner healing, or when I'm ministering to someone about forgiveness or judgments is the issue of honor.  One of the ten commandments is" Honor your father and mother".  In Deuteronomy, that command is repeated with the phrase, "That it may go well with you..."  In the New Testament, it says that that is the only commandment with a promise.  Honoring our parents, in some way brings blessing to us in return.  The converse is also true--in any way that we do not honor our parents, it will not go well with us.  So some of the difficulties that people get into can, in part, be traced back to a dishonoring of their parents. 

Honoring is hard, though, when our parents have acted in dishonorable ways.  And I am constantly asked about how a person can honor a parent in whom they can see nothing to praise, nothing to emulate, nothing to honor. 

Back to Paul Manwaring's teaching about glory.  In Isaiah 43:7, it says you were created for Glory.  Romans 3:23 says that we've all fallen short of the Glory of God.  In Psalm 16:3, it says we are Glorious ones.  So there's something about being human that is about Glory.  God's glory is his expressing of Himself.  When he expressed himself in creation, WE happened.  Therefore, the fact of being human is being glorious.

Paul M. defines "Honor" as "the recognition of glory in another."  By recognizing that another human being is made in the image of God, we honor that person.  We've all fallen short of that glory, so it may be quite hidden or bent or clouded.  But the glory is there somewhere.  When I recognize that glory in someone, I grow from glory to glory. 

Honor brings life.  When Jesus died, he honored you because you're worth it.  So is everyone else we encounter.  Phil. 2 says that Jesus humbled himself.  And before all honor there comes  humility.  We must humble ourselves in order to honor another person. 

May we all honor our parents, but may we also honor one another--recognizing that we are all reflections of God's glorious person. 
Grace to you all! 

~Debbie McKinniss