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LESSON 13 • Fourth Week

SHOWING APPRECIATION

Background Reading:

Psalms 71:20-21; Proverbs 3:35; 18:12; 13:13; 1 Timothy 5:7; Roman 12:10; 1Corinthians 12:25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Devotional Reading:

Esther 6:1-14

Central Verse
"Honor all men. Love the brother-                                        "Show proper respect to everyone,
hood. Fear God. Honor the King."                                        love the family of believers, fear God,
1 Peter 2:17, KJV                                                                     honor the emperor."1 Peter 2:17, NIV

KEY WORDS
Haughty Spirit—a special attitude or frame of mind that is blatantly and disdainfully proud: having or showing an attitude of superiority and con­tempt for people or things perceived to be inferior.
Humility—freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble.
Schism—formal division in or separation from a church or religious body: lack of harmony: DISCORD.

Introduction

Every believer needs to ask God to give him wisdom and guidance on treat­ing one another with honor and respect. Believers need to know how to lead one another, love one another and serve one another as they surrender themselves more to the Lord. The Apostle John wrote the three love chap­ters when he wrote the books of First, Second, and Third John. He empha­sized the message of loving God and loving one another. His message is clear to the believer of the real love of God by following His commands, and to love and honor fellow believers by appreciating them. John encouraged believers to live and love as Jesus did. Every person loves to be loved and appreciated, and most believers love to show appreciation.

Discussion

It's important for believers to love intentionally by loving one another's dif­ferences. When believers love one another, showing honor and apprecia­tion, they become a powerful force in this world to be reckoned with. Jesus said by the love shown to one another, people would know who they are.

Paul tells the believers to show appreciation to those who diligently labor among them and have charge over them in the Lord. He esteems them high for their work. If a believer does not know how to appreciate someone else, he will not know how to receive appreciation. When one person shows ap­preciation for another, it gives greater enrichment to his life.

True believers who love one another will seek opportunities to honor others instead of themselves or try to make sure that as he receives honor, their broth­ers and sisters do also. For he does not want any schism to be seen in the body. When one suffers, the entire body suffers; and when one is honored, they are all honored, they all can rejoice for honor, and appreciation is shared by all.

The Word of the Lord tells the believer that when a Pastor rules well, he is worthy of double honor. For the laborer is worthy of his hire, therefore the Pastor or Elder should be shown special love and recognition. Many Pastors, their wives, and their families make many sacrifices to build and promote the ministry.

Years ago, the Saints used to make sure that the Pastor and his wife were shown great appreciation. They sponsored yearly anniversary services where they showed the Pastor in many ways how much they loved and ap­preciated him. They presented them with finances, all types of gifts, trips, or whatever they felt would bring joy to their Pastor, wife, and children.

Pastors and their wives are honored, but they are not the only ones, for Paul said do not forget to honor the widow indeed. She should be a woman whose husband is dead, and she is above Sixty years of age. But many times, after the husband is dead, the widow, who sold dinners and worked untiredly for her Church, is sometimes forgotten. No honor and no apprecia­tion are given, which causes them to feel neglected. The widows in the early New Testament Church often felt neglected, until the Apostles reminded the believers that they had a responsibility to remember them and orphans. To give them honor, respect, love, and appreciation. They needed someone to stop and say a kind word of encouragement.

King David was grateful and happy that God had chosen him when he was a young lad. He told God in many psalms and hymns that because of His love and kindness, he would use his instrument and give God praise and honor. He said that he would open his heart in a song to God and let out lungsful of praises. Because he had a heart of gratefulness, he constantly sang and wrote songs of praise to his God. When there is genuine thankfulness, it is easy to give appreciation to someone.

God wants everything that has breath to give Him praise, for giving praises to God gives appreciation to Him. God loves being shown love, praise, hon­or, and appreciation by His children. When believers love God by obeying and living for Him, he is letting God know how much he appreciates all the things He has done for them.

David knew that wise and righteous living was rewarded with honor, that stupid living and stupid acting only receives disdain. The wise man said in the book of Proverbs that before destruction the heart of a man is haughty. And before honor is humility, knowing that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Conclusion

Sometimes, some people want all the appreciation for themselves. His life is motivated by doing things that will bring honor and appreciation only to himself. Haman the Agagite, who was promoted to the highest-ranking offi­cial in the government by King Xerxes, was that kind of man. All the King's servants at the King's Gate would honor him by bowing down and kneeling before him because that is what the King commanded.

Everyone would bow down except the Jew Mordecai. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down and kneel before him, he was outraged. He sought a way to get back at all the Jews, for he hated Jews. Meanwhile, Morde­cai overheard a plot against the King and was able to reveal the plot and save the King. This deed was put in the King's record book and forgotten for a while.

But one night the King could not sleep, so he got his book and began to read and saw the deed. He inquired and found out that nothing had been done to honor Mordecai. So, when Haman came in that day, the King asked him what he could do to show honor and appreciation to someone who had served him well.

Haman thought to himself, he must be talking about honoring me—who else? So, he answered the King. He told the king to bring a royal robe that the king had worn and a horse that the king had ridden, one with a royal crown on his head. Then give the robe and horse to one of the King's most noble princes. Have him robe the man whom the King wants to honor. Have the prince lead him on horseback through the city, proclaiming before him, "This is what is done for the man whom the King, especially honors!"

The King told Haman to do it right away for the Jew Mordecai. This made Haman so angry, because he thought the King was referring to him, but instead, he was referring to a man that he hated. He was a wicked, selfish man, who lost out because of his selfishness and wickedness.

Questions

Why is honoring other people important to God?
What can each person do to honor another person?
What did David do to shoe honor to God?
What did Mordecai do to receive honor?
What happened to Haman and why?

Essential Thought- "If you can honor someone else, you will receive honor from another."