Psalms 15:4

I wrote a (very lengthy) entry yesterday about the effects the exaltation of evil people has on society. What, then is the appropriate thing to do?

Only a few chapters later, when the psalmist is listing the qualities of a person who may abide in God’s tabernacle or dwell in His holy hill, one of the things he lists is “In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord,” (Psalms 15:4). Not only does the psalmist reiterate here that we should not show respect to vile people...he actually a positive response. A "thou shalt" to follow the "thou shalt not": we should honor those who fear the lord.

It's much easier to gossip than to spread good news. And it's easier to pick out the bad or annoying aspects of our associates than to find the good ones. We pick apart and tear down. When we should be honoring...but not just honoring anyone. We should go out of our way to honor those who fear the Lord.

You know someone like that. Maybe they are your spiritual mentor, maybe a friend, maybe someone you barely know but you respect the work you know they are doing for the Lord. If no one else, maybe it is your pastor or youth director or Sunday School teacher or someone else in a position of autority in the church. They, more than most, need our encouragement. They have just as many cares and worries as we do personally...and they share in those of the rest of the church, class, or group.

Challenge for Today: Find a person who fears the Lord and find a way to “honor” them today…even a word of encouragement will do. Perhaps you can meet a need you know of theirs. Ask God to bring something to your attention, ask Him to bring to mind the person you need to honor today...and the means by which you should do so.