“Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.” Psalm 45:10-11

I honor my husband today. Walter Gregory has made me the happiest woman in the world because of his great love for me. He respects me and speaks highly of me to others and I can’t begin to tell you how much confidence it’s built in me.

That word ‘honor’, is translated high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to hold in high respect or revere. It’s not just how you treat someone, it’s how you talk about them and treat them when they’re in the room or far away.

There was a time when I didn’t treat him with respect and honor. Because of the funny things he did and my ability to tell stories, I would regal people with tales that would make them roar with laughter. I didn’t realize that in the process, I was undermining his self-esteem for others enjoyment. It took years to reverse the damage I’d done at his expense.

In John 14:6, Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.” Thank God that when I discovered the Truth and sound teaching, I could make course corrections in the way I honor God and man.

Over the years I’ve heard a lot of women say how much they want a man like Walt because of the way he treats me. I would say to you that you can, if you’re willing to start with what you have and apply honor. It won’t happen over night and you won’t want to do it most of the time, but you don’t do it for any of those reasons. You do it because God said to! You do it because it’s just the right thing to do! No one deserves the grace and mercy of God, yet He extends it freely if we receive it.

There’s not a perfect person in the world, but if you set your heart on things above (Jesus) and seek Him with all your heart, the overflow of that love and honor will spill over onto the relationships around you. Sometimes the evil in us can only be replaced with that overflow. Let His love fill you up and let all the other stuff go.

I close with a portion of Pauls letter to the Philippians; I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.  I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.  So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, God will reveal it to them.  And let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion. (Philippians 3:14-16)

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G