Honor vs Ego

Honor vs Ego

"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." ~I Peter 2:11-12 NKJV

Honor (n) - honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions

I wonder if honor has died in our day and time. How often in business does man lie in order to escape some sort of punitive action (whether real or perceived)?
How often do we believe a lie rather than find out the truth for ourselves? Amazing how we can tend to absorb whatever we read, are told, or watch isn't it? Do we ever stop ourselves for a second to check out what has been presented for us to believe, to find out whether it is true?
How often do we spread a lie, rather than have the good judgment to fact-check it first? Think for a moment about the things we share online, forward in email, post on our pages, bring up and present as fact in conversations; is there truth in our words, actions, conversation?
Do we act honorably, or do we rather react to shelter our ego from harm? Are we honorable, no matter the cost, in order that we may be accepted by God; or do we sacrifice truth in order to "save face" and be accepted - if only in our minds - by man?

Having honor means taking your lumps. It's staying true to what is right no matter the consequences. Honor is risking someone being upset with you rather than be dishonest to appease them. Honor encompasses having integrity. Honor is greater than the sum of its parts, meaning that being honorable is reaching toward the highest and purest good, it's taking part with the Divine; honor is trustworthiness. Honor means having the guts to stand alone and be unwavering in your conviction of what is true, honest, and right. It's always doing what's right because it's right to do, because you love the truth, you love God above all, and you're fully committed to doing whatever it takes to please Him.

To put it simply: Honor sacrifices ego, while ego steals honor.

The verse above instructs us to let our actions be honorable among others; the reason for this is so when - not if - they speak evil of us (2Tim.3:12) their words will not be believed because of our actions and will instead be moved to glorify God. That's how honor works. Honor runs counter to typical human behavior which seeks to approve itself. Honor moves the observer to glorify God rather than praise the person. Living and acting with honor is communing with the Divine. To act without honor is to leave the Lord in favor of the carnal, the banal, the perishing ways of the flesh.

You want to live with distinction? You want to be different? Live like Jesus Christ. The good majority of everyone else is living a life displeasing to God, they're all living a life of being lost - be original, live the life and follow the path that so few seek (Matt.7:13-14). Do it, not to just be different, not to satisfy your insatiable ego, not to glorify self; do it to glorify God, choose to be a man of honor and be like Christ.

This is the only way, the only life worthwhile, the only way our life can have true and lasting meaning. Without honor, which derives from Christ, then we have nothing. With ego we perish, with honor we live eternally. With ego we stand alone, with honor we stand with God Almighty. Make your choice.

Let's be men of honor, friends.

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