What does honor and keeping your word to someone mean to you? Is it as important as it was years ago? A famous painter, Edmund Blair Leighton, thought it was important enough that he devoted all his artistic works to the subject of honor. Though he lived and died at the beginning of the 20th century, his works speak to the timeless virtues of both honor and its partner, chivalry.
One of his most famous paintings, God Speed, shows a chivalrous knight going off to protect his lady-wife in a time of war. So what is Chivalry? In essence it is a".. Code of behavior/ethics for knights, based on telling the truth, keeping one's word and protecting those weaker than oneself." (see define:chivalry/Google) A knight is defined as anyone regardless of gender who "..was a warrior who followed a nobleman or a nobleman who followed a king." (see define:knight/Google) As "soldiers of Christ" all Christians can be considered as "knights" in the honorable service of Christ and God.
Honor according to the Wilkipedia definition "...comprises the reputation, self-perception or moral identity of an individual or of a group." Another definition found through Google expands on this: ".. a Primary Principle and prime virtue, is the feeling and the expression of admiration, respect, or esteem accorded to another as a right or as due. Honor refers to virtue, purity, a keen sense of ethical conduct, and integrity. We honor God as Personality, but are loyal to God as Principle. We must do the same in our relationships. In other words, God is not some distant and inconceivable idea; He is a person. He has invited us into a relationship with Him. His heart can be hurt. Love does not injure or betray another. It does not rejoice with evil even as it forgives in order to restore relationships; it does not cast them off into the past as if they never existed. (1 Corinthians 13) This is not what starting over with God means. Starting over means setting what exists right. This is the only acceptable worship to God. Otherwise, we would be forever stuck as we are now, never being able to trust ourselves and no one really trusting us. That is why many see truth as being relative today. What if the world became so relative as to trust that the boss that hired you today and signed you to a year's contract, was able to say tomorrow: You're fired? What if you asked him in shock why he had done that and all he could say was: "I meant it at the time."? This is what we do to our covenant marriage mates when we say "I do" at the alter in front of everyone and then leave them because we don't want to honor the marriage as anything but our feelings at the time. Feelings go up and down in all marriages so it is not wise to use them as a measure of how good or bad the marriage seems to be.
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" sets the keynote of Honor to God above all things. ... " So we can see that honor and chivalry are two virtues very tightly bound together in the worship of God and the keeping of our vows. It requires us to honor our word in order to honor God's principles and to honor His person. But what does honoring God bring to us as individuals? How is it a gift to us from God? Spiritual honor is a sacred committment from God, our Lord, to us, his "Knights" and one we can give back to God and to all we touch in our lives, from our marriage mates to whom we have given a life-long vow before God, to our children, to our friends and to our co-workers. When we do so, when we honor the committments and vows we make, we bring honor to ourselves and to the God we represent.
When we don't honor our vows, as Jesus without hesitation tells us, we endanger the everlasting lives of others we have involved in our disobedience and bring dishonor upon them. We cannot label ourselves as Christians and honorable and disobey what Jesus teaches us. Are you in such a situation? Is someone trying to put you in that situation? Then do as Joseph did when tempted by Potifer's wife: Flee immorality! Leave that non-covenant relationship now and urge the one who is still married in God's eyes to go home to their waiting spouse. You both will be forgiven if you do as Jesus so kindly told the woman accused of adultery when He saved her: 'Go and sin no more." Think of the peace of mind and heart you will have from God!
Listen with me now to the comforting messages of hope and resolve from Dr. Ravi Zacharias entitled I, Issac Take Thee, Rebecca (pt 1) I, Issac Take Thee, Rebecca (pt 2) and also Divided Heart, Divided Home(pt1) Divided Heart, Divided Home (pt2), and see how keeping your vows to God with spiritual honor will give you the strength and courage to do what is right and show you how "with God all things are possible". (Mark 10:27)
Read: Online Bible Available
Scriptures: Hebrews 13:4, Malachi 2: 10-16, Matthew 19:9, Book of Hosea
Prayer: O, God, help me and my spouse to keep what we vowed to you in front of all the people. In a world that looks at honor and forgets, help me and my spouse remember our marriage covenant to you and to each other. Help us finish the race with honor, honoring you, O, Lord, by keeping our promise to honor one another and forsaking all others no matter what the cost or the circumstance. Let us not give in to the world and believe that what God has joined together in holy matimony can be put apart by man's government. For you are higher than the law of man which always changes. Your righteousness never changes. In name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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