Honoring the Cross
Recently, my daughter began high school, and with high school came her desire to be apart of JROTC, and not only JROTC but drill team at 6:30am everyday! She is much like her mom, goal oriented and dives all in! With this though, I began an in-depth questioning and study on honor. As she began Army JROTC at school she learned of the 7 Core Army Values.
Loyalty: Devote yourself to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and other fellow Soldiers.
Duty: Fulfill your responsibilities and accomplish tasks as part of a team, without taking shortcuts.
Respect: Treat people as they should be treated.
Selfless Service: Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
Honor: Live up to all the Army values.
Integrity: Do what’s right, legally and morally.
Personal Courage: Face fear, danger, and adversity (physical or moral).
This is part of how I lead down the rabbit hole of a study on honor. I have not been privileged to have had a high school experience with JROTC and in learning along the journey with her, felt God lead me in this direction. Honor for me was a thought of how we as Americans show honor and appreciation to those who have served and are serving for our freedom. I began to wonder how as a nation we make such an appointment to show that respect and honor to those service members who rightfully so deserve to be appreciated; but I began to wonder about how we as a nation have lost our honor for the cross?
Honor is defined as:
1. high respect; great esteem
2. adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct.
3.fulfill (an obligation) or keep (an agreement).
How have we as a nation, lost our focus towards God, lost our appreciation for our lives, and most importantly lost fear for our eternal futures? Looking at honor Biblically there are 3 main parts that stood out to me.
Honor Produces Faith
Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land of the Lord your God is giving you.”
If you won’t honor your parents you won’t honor God. In Exodus 20 we see all died accept Joshua and Caleb. These people didn’t enter the promised land because they didn’t have faith.
What caused unbelief? Dishonor
Familiarity breeds contempt.
In the parable, A Prophet Without Honor- we see this connection.
Mark 6:1-5 “Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home. He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
Honor Produces Blessings
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” which is the first commandment with a promise “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Children are told to do 2 things: 1- obey your parents 2-honor your parents.
We see this displayed with Jesus being subject to honor his earthly parents too, in Luke 2:51-52
Those who resist bring judgement on themselves.
Honor Produces Destiny
Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
God has promised land for you. God has a calling and a destination for you. Honor is not what you say it is, it is what you do and its what you do in your heart.
Honor was lost, when we lost obedience for what God called us too. Honor is taught to our service members, honor for God is something we must teach again.
