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Glory and Honor

Isaiah 6:3 (AMP) “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory.”

This was a vision of Isaiah as he is peering into the Heavenlies. He is gazing at the throne of God and sees the seraphim (angelic beings) standing all around Him singing. I do that in my prayer time as well. A song will come up within me and I will sing it to the Lord. Open the Eyes of My Heart was the song and I kept singing “to see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your Glory.” Then the words glory and honor were given to me.

When we are in prayer our Bibles should be near. I don’t know about you, but sometimes my mind will wonder during prayer. My Bible helps me stay on track. My Bible will also confirm the words given to me during my prayer time. If the rhema (revealed word) does not match the logos (Word of God as it is written), then I am thinking on the wrong things.

The first word I looked up was ‘Glory,’ and this verse came up. Then I went to look into the verses around it for context. “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1 MEV).” My heart lept when I saw the words ‘high and lifted up,’ just as I had been singing moments before. Following shortly after was about His Glory. The whole earth is filled with His Glory. I am one of those that are about of this earth. My prayer every day is to have an opportunity to glorify His Name. This confirms that my heart cry is what I am created for.

Then I looked up ‘Honor.’ Honor is not something that He is looking for that just comes out of mouths. The Bible calls that ‘lip service’ (Isaiah 29:13). Honor is shown. When I refuse to do what His Word says, I am showing dishonor. When I refuse to go when He says go, I am showing dishonor. When I refuse to give when He says to give, I am showing dishonor. To be disobedient is to show dishonor. That is why the Bible tells children to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2).

Proverbs 3:9-10 (AMP) Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your crops (income); Then your barns will be abundantly filled and your vats will overflow with new wine.

There are rewards with Honor. Look all through the Bible. God is a rewarder of our faith and honor. What if your faith was linked to your honor? It takes faith to give God your first of your wealth. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith without the works of obedience is dead (James 2:26). You can claim to have faith and honor. In James 2:18 the author states to show me your faith without works (if you can), I will show you my faith by my works (by what I do). Honor is shown by what I do, the same with my faith.

Isaiah 6:8 (AMP) Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 

When I realize that His Glory is a part of me because I am His created, then I have all I need to walk in faith and honor to Him. They should be flowing out of me just as His glory does. I am not to get the glory. When I honor Him with my actions, He gets the glory. When I have faith to move, He gets the glory.

Father, our Creator and Maker, we come before Your throne room. Your Glory fills the earth. Your Name is Holy. We were made in Your image. We desire to Glorify Your Name, to life up Your Name in this earth. Thank You for sending Your Son to pay the price for our sin, so that we may be restored to our glorious purpose. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit so that Your logos Word may become Rhema Word. Thank You that with all of these gifts that we are full and abundant in life. We repent for not be obedient and showing your dishonor. We repent for not allowing the Word and Spirit to transform us. We repent for being in so much control that we did not realize that surrender was faith. We desire to honor you. We desire to be known as faith filled believers. We lay everything down and listen for Your “Go.” We repent for being dishonoring You by not going. We repent for being selfish and not loving others to see the best for them. You have given us everything we will ever need because we have sought Your Kingdom first. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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My Calling

Matthew 10:41 (AMP) He who receives and welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous (honorable) man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month, most churches celebrated and honored their pastor’s yesterday (ours did it the first Sunday). To be called into the pastoral ministry is a joy. We are tasked with the duty of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, the ministry of reconciliation, as we were called into it first.

My husband and I have been on a series called “Restore” all year. We have taken the past few weeks to tackle a subject regarding “My Calling.” We find that many in the church start to chase after their calling. Leaving, and forsaking the covering of their pastors, and seeking out those who will promote their calling. Did I just say covering? Is that not old fashioned? Do you not think that this is anything new? The letters in the New Testament were not written to the unbeliever, they were written to the church. Hebrews 10:25 talks about not forsaking the meeting together as some have come into the habit of. What would the writer say about the church today, staying at home, watching on You Tube and disconnected from serving one another?

Hebrews 13:7 (AMP) Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.

I understand there have been abuses. Your pastor does not have the right to tell you who you can marry, where you can live, what job you are to take, nor what car to buy. Your pastor does have the right to tell you that the counsel you have chased after to build up your calling, is not where you need to be. The pastoral calling is heavy and will come with more responsibility.

The initial verse of this is Jesus speaking. Jesus went to His hometown. He desired to see people set free where ever He went. The same power to heal and bring back to life flowed through Him every where He went. Why did it not flow freely in His home town? They still saw Him as the boy that grew up there and not the man who walked in freedom that all the other towns were able to receive from. They could not receive from Him because they saw Him as common. How do you approach the gathering on Sundays? Do you go with expectation? Or are you expecting the same thing every week?

Pastors are vision carriers. They have a passion to see you become free and to do the work of the ministry. That is not always vacuuming or cleaning the bathrooms, but sometimes it is. What it really is…the ministry of reconciliation. Who are we doing the serving with? Those who need freedom in their life, just like you. Do not get so caught up in the work that you do not see the person you are working along side and not get to know them.

I do a lot of one on one care. I will invite someone to do an activity and get to know them. I will find out how I can pray for them, direct them in the Word, share my own struggles and how I am overcoming in the Word, find out their interests and just get to know them. That is what it looks like. Then I will help them do the same for someone else. Not everyone will have a relationship like that with me. Some still see me as the teenage girl, that wore short skirts, dating the pastor’s son. Some still see me as the young woman that would roll her eyes. Does that mean I am not the person I am today? I do not remember that young girl, even if others do. That does not mean I will not serve them.

During this Pastor Appreciation Month take stock of how you see your pastor(s). Pastors, take a look at how you lead and serve the people God has called you to. We are connected for a reason and the reason is the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). We are no longer bound, but free. Freedom takes work to figure out, there are root areas that will try to keep us from putting on the newness (Colossians 3:10) we have become, it takes all of us to get there.

Father, thank you for your goodness, mercy and grace. Let me see the people you have called me to with fresh eyes. I no longer want to see them as common. Your Son said that if I would receive people with honor and see them as righteous that I would receive a righteous man’s reward. I want all that you have for me, so I choose today to lay down my rights and stand on Your truth. Forgive me for not receiving from the pastor(s) you have placed in my life. They have only wanted to see me free and I repent for fighting them in my stubbornness. I surrender my heart to You. Let it be tender and responsive to Your Holy Spirit. I choose to surrender today. Thank you for giving me the ministry of reconciliation, so that I can share Christ with others. I do not take it for granted. It is the calling that you trusted me with. I will not run the race in vain. I choose you today. In Jesus Name, Amen.