According to the Barnes and Noble synopsis: “In HONOR’S REWARD, bestselling author John Bevere unveils the power and truth of an often-overlooked principle-the spiritual law of honor. Bevere explains that understanding the vital role of this virtue will enable readers to attract blessing both now and for eternity.” You can read the Publishers Weekly comments and Mr. Bevere’s biography, here. Visit his website and check his blog.
All three of our churches are reading this one book. Once you start reading the book, be generous and share your thoughts by entering a comment below.
In Christ New Hope Ministry Blog 
The book Honors Reward was an awesome book that compiled what I already knew to do….which is Honor All Men. However, the author John Bevere brings out the magnitude and consequence of how our “dishing out,” or “lack of dishing out,” respect plays as a foundation to our receiving of own Rewards or Blessing from God. As a result…..I now walk in a much more sensitive walk of making sure that I honor All, including those who don’t deserve my respect or who may even be my enemy.
We are all familiar with the Last Supper where Jesus begins to unravel that among the disciples there was one who would betray Him, who Jesus definitely knew was to be Judas. We may not be familiar with the fact that in the culture of Jesus’ time they looked at the words “Friend” and “Lover” differently than we look at them today. Back then, to refer to another person with the word Friend was on a higher level than calling someone a Lover. This is because in that time the word Lover had a sexual connotation to it and it was based upon a relationship of give and take, meanwhile the word Friend had more of an unconditional relationship meaning and was based on giving alone.
Note what Jesus said:
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. KJV
Now look at how Jesus responded to the Betrayer, who was willing to sell Jesus away to be crucified for some Silver….not even today’s “Bling or Gold”. Jesus acted in Love and Honor even towards His Enemy….Judas.
Note what Jesus calls Judas:
Matt 26:47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. KJV
Now that we’re concluding this book, what rests in my spirit is how BIG the examples are of God honoring honor. In grabbing hold of this command to do it as a matter of love, my thought is this: the KING of Kings wants His majesty to be known and He will manifest it as the Kings give honor to God Himself whether as our Savior and Father, High Priest and Elder Brother, or Teacher and Comforter — as well as all the opportunities we have with mankind in our daily experience.
This book is a “must read” for leaders in all venues and would be beneficial for all mankind.
When I managed Councilman Ben Douglas’s office at City Hall, I was regularly in email contact with then Chief of Policy Bob Duffy who presented a regular report to City Council, in particular to the committee over which the Councilman had jurisdiction. As Chief, Bob always responded promptly and decisively, laying out the action he would take and how he would direct the officers under his authority. His consistency impressed me. I was, after all, just a staffer; but Bob respected both the office and the Councilman.
Today, Bob is Mayor and, at his invitation, Ben left City Council to take a position in the Duffy administration. Their positions of authority are now reversed, and I have no position at all (when a councilman leaves office, his staff is automatically out of a job); yet I learned first-hand that the honor remains. Entering the Mayor’s Ball last week, I saw Bob standing in the midst of a small crowd conversing with several gentlemen. Bob and I made eye contact and almost imperceptibly, he nodded to me. You know the nod: it’s what people do to acknowledge each other; it’s the physical “I see you” but in Bob’s case, let me propose that it’s “I honor you.”
I haven’t been in City Council for nearly a year, yet the honor, as I said above, remains. This tells me that Bob honors honor. He didn’t need to nod for the sake of an office, a supervisor, or a “nodding acquaintance.” On a level of 1 to 10, this impressed me round about 7.
Leaving the Mayor’s Ball with Ben and his wife, Jean, we three stopped to say goodbye to our host. Bob immediately addressed Ben, showing deference and honor (“how nice,” I thought.) Then Jean, who is CEO of the YWCA, presented a request for support which Bob said he would like to honor (“that’s nice,” I thought). As those three were all speaking, I was observing the exchanges, trying to define what was invisible yet tangibly “in the atmosphere,” and composing a request from a charity with which I am involved. I wanted just a quick word because by this time, a crowd had begun to assemble and guests were waiting for a turn to speak with the Mayor.
I considered not making my request, particularly if Ben and Jean seemed ready to make a quick exit given that they likely did not expect me to make any request at all. But, I had given my word to mention the charity’s May 7 event. To my surprise, Bob turned to me, called me by name, and said that he had seen me come in and had tried to catch my eye. We chatted for a few minutes as I made my request to which he responded generously.
On a level of 1 to 10, this impressed me round about 20, demonstrating the power of honor. The Mayor spoke to an employee, a nonprofit CEO, and a citizen all with the same degree of honor and respect. You might think that what I was reflecting upon in the atmosphere surrounding the Mayor was what some call “star power.” I submit to you that it was and is and always will be the power of honor.
God is so faithful in always providing what we need. I believe that he has given us the book Honor’s Reward to study because honor is an essential part of his Kingdom that is often over looked.
We spend a considerable amount of time studying to position ourselves in the world be it a better job, better opportunity, more responsibility, promotion etc.., however, we fail to see the importance of elevation in the body of Christ. God wants us to operate in wisdom in all areas but this will only happen as we put more emphasis and time in studying his word.
Thank you Holy Spirit for introducing us to a new truth to practice.. Honor is an extremely high calling and a wonderful next level to practice in every area of my life.
“We all have life-defining moments. They are like open-book tests, but we don’t know we have been examined until it is over” (see page 5). That last bit was eye-opening and all of it ties directly to the apostle Paul’s advise to “imitate God” (Ephesians 5:1; as in Jesus is the pattern) and affect the outcome of a situation by using the spiritual principal governing it (in this case, set good patterns early in life). Our thinking, our believing, and our speaking all build up to a “life-defining moment.” Thank God we have the power to make those moments worthy of our King.
–Elder J. K.