Unlimited: Honor One Another
Jul 27, 2023 385
Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10b).
Graeco-Roman society was structured as a competition for honour. The more honour you accumulated, above the honour of others, the more successful you were considered in life. However, what Paul radically told his audience is the opposite to this. He tells them that they should compete to outdo each other in honouring others above themselves.
Adam Clarke observed of this verse that,
The meaning appears to be this: Consider all your brethren as more worthy than yourself; and let neither grief nor envy affect your mind at seeing another honored and yourself neglected. This is a hard lesson, and very few persons learn it thoroughly.
It takes true strength and courage to truly love others and honour them above ourselves.
The essence of love isn’t selflessness alone, since this leaves us without a focal point and object for our care and attention. The essence of love is a willingness to put the needs of the other above our own, for their own good. The phrase “for their own good” gives us a boundary and stops us from merely being a doormat for others. Love is always active, and not passive. For that reason, to be co-dependent or to simply allow oneself to be abused by another reflects not love, but a form of selfishness.
It takes true strength and courage to truly love others and honour them above ourselves.
Spiritual Application
Who is one person in your life that you find difficult to honour above yourself? Set yourself a challenge to do just that this week, in a practical and obvious way.
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