To Be Honored by Almighty God

John 12:26

If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

How is it possible that Almighty God would honor creatures as lowly as we are - His mere creations from dust?  As unimaginable as it seems to us, it is settled in the kingdom of God.  The process for such an honor is locked into place for all eternity.  The steps are clearly defined.  Become a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Serve Him wherever and whenever He calls.  Be honored by the Father.  

Simple enough, right?  At least it would seem so.  But as Americans, we have some social hurdles to overcome.  We were raised to be fiercely independent.  That trait, while desirable in the carnal world, can have a negative impact on how we are able to build intimacy with God.  The true intimacy of a Holy Spirit lead lifestyle is not possible until we are able to completely surrender our lives to Jesus.

Anything short of full surrender to Jesus will lead to a life on the fence - half devoted to being a disciple of Jesus Christ and half devoted to the callings of the world.   When we are in that vacillating position, we are spiritually immature.  That is not the real life that God has planned for us.  God wants a spiritually mature life for us and from us.  He wants us to reach a place where we make every decision in life with discernment of the Holy Spirit.  Our Heavenly Father wants us to be fully committed disciples of His Son, conscious of our dependence on Him without regard to the trappings of our world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Son, Jesus, so that we can stay in constant communion with Him and receive grace from Him.  We rejoice in knowing that we receive honor from You when we follow Your Son and accept the gift of salvation that He offers.  We ask forgiveness, Lord, for all the times that we make decisions based on the world's standards and not Yours.  We pray, Father, that You will provide the grace that we need to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit only.  We ask for the strength and the wisdom to lay aside the trifling concerns of this life.  May we learn to exercise love, humility, patience, self-denial and resignation to Your will in the same manner as Our Savior did when He walked this earth.  May the eternal glory be Yours.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Refiner and Purifier, Jesus Christ.