Honor – Philippians 2:3-5
Paul’s God-inspired words to his brothers and sisters in Philippians 2:3-5 furthers our understanding of relationships, especially in a practical sense.
The verses are “strategic” not only in regard to how we conduct ourselves relationally, but also in the sense that they show the way toward the best long-term, even eternal, outcomes resulting from our relationships with others, focusing on the idea of “honor” as a key action.
For instance, verse 3 reads “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Carrying out those instructions means treating others as special. Interestingly, Paul isn’t specific about WHO he means by “others” — which signals that he means EVERYBODY.
We can honor those we don’t necessarily respect since they haven’t necessarily earned it — and we do so by simply choosing to give that honor in humility. And such an action shows more about us than about those we honor. (The command for children to honor their parents appears frequently in Scripture, which tells us that learning to honor others starts when we’re young and in the home.)
Verse 4 tells us, “let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” There are numerous examples Jesus set for us: Turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, allowing the little children to come to him. The idea of doing more than what’s expected of us.
Finally, in verse 5 we have Paul telling us to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus …” It means having a mindset that’s based in a good attitude, doing away with grumbling, complaining, arguing. It means bringing joy into the room. And it all starts with showing honor to others and undergirding that effort with humility.
And let’s not forget that God showed honor to us first! How? The Lord created us in his own image, redeemed us, and adopted us into his family. He honored us even though we don’t deserve to be honored.
So wouldn’t you say that, in addition to honoring others and putting others first, we also should obey the command to honor God as well by how we relate to him and how conduct our lives? Let us this week look for ways we can carry out the instructions in verses 3 through 5, not only in regard to relationships with others but also in regard to our relationships with the Lord.
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