We love this verse, because it always applies to someone else who needs the reminder. It isn’t needed for me, is it? Wrong, because Paul was clear in his teaching when he says we should honour one another ABOVE YOURSELVES. Sometimes we think we are right, but in truth, most of the time we KNOW we are right, without any wiggle room, and that is dangerous territory.
We need to be very careful to allow others to be able to express their views, graciously hear them through, and allow for them to be properly understood, because they very well might be right, and oh diddums, we just could be the one in the wrong after all. I would suggest that the Godly thing to do is let the other person be right, especially when it is not going to change the course of the earth’s orbit! Is that so hard?
Relationships are key to our faith. That includes our Heavenly Father, but also our family and friends. Rule of thumb is: God is always right, but we should show enough grace to allow our friends to be right too, even at our own expense. Would that hurt so much? Or is it too important that we are never seen to be wrong? I can see a direct link in this verse between ‘devotion’ and ‘honour’. If we are really devoted to each other in Christian love, then honouring each other above ourselves, should not be too difficult.
Let me put it another way. When the living and active Church of God is working as it should, and we ALL allow for each other’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and then some of our difficulties will just not arise! Simply because we are all showing humility before God, and respect to our fellow Christians. If we can’t do that, I think we may have to check our own spiritual health to see if our faith-heart is beating. Just a thought.
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