Men honor fame,
Men honor wealth,
For the world does think
That honor comes
From having both of these.

But the honor that’s worth the having,
Comes from God, Himself,
To those who love His Son,
In the form of grace and glory,
In the form of glory and grace.
                        M. Robbins


     Throughout the ages, mankind seems to have had an endless desire to be “greatly honored.”
     Yet, as Christians, we shouldn’t strive for the world’s various temporal “honors;” neither are we to be horrified by fleeting “honors” obtained by dishonorable methods.
     But we are to be aware of the wiles of Satan, our enemy.  Yet, he is more knowledgeable of our inward nature then we are of his tactical wiles.  Thus, Satan has become very adept at using the human desire for “honor” to his advantage and to our disadvantage.
     Sometimes Satan brazenly tries to go directly against God’s plans for the ages by using an individual’s personal desire for “honor.”  We find an example of this in the chapters of Numbers 22-24, where Satan attempts to destroy the children of Israel by way of a pagan’s lust for “honor.”
     Of course it all started when Balak, king of the Moabites, wanted his enemies, the children of Israel, to be cursed.  Now Balak didn’t have the satanic power to curse, so he promised to promote “unto great honor” Balaam, a pagan prophet, if Balaam would curse the twelve tribes of Israel.
     However, Balak’s plans and Balaam’s ambitions were foiled when, instead of a satanic curse, God commanded Balaam to give a blessing.
      Balak then angrily, but truthfully, exclaims to Balaam in Numbers 24:11: “I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.”
     It is that 11th verse of Numbers 24, which was spoken by the pagan king, that Satan often deceitfully uses in a Christian’s life to disrupt the sweet, trustful communion a Christian has with his blessed Heavenly Father.  This Satan does by maliciously sowing seeds of distrust of our Father’s love, His care, His guidance, His wisdom, etc., and those seeds are planted right at the doorsteps of our heart, mind, and soul!
     Actually the fact that the Devil tried to get Jesus to sin by quoting parts of Psalms 91:11-12 after Christ’s fast of 40 days in the wilderness, should serve as a warning that Satan will try anything!  Yes, Satan will try anything, even the usage of the Holy Word, to cause us to sin or be disturbed in spirit!
     So be very careful, dear Christian, of Satan’s sly usage of the words:  “the LORD hath kept thee back from honor,” because Satan will deceptively twist the meaning of that verse by using our innocent longing for the world’s “honors” to bring about in our life less reliance upon God or discontentment with God, Himself. 
     And let us be cognizant of the fact that the world’s admiration and adulation are not suitable for individuals whose sins have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ.
     Therefore, let us no longer aspire to obtain worldly “honors;” for even if the world could “honor” one individual with the entire accumulated wealth and possessions of all the centuries, that would be insignificant to what each Christian “honorably” possesses through the grace of God.
     Rather, may the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the attentive reading of the Scriptures enlighten us of the numerous “honors” God has granted to those who have placed their trust in the name of Christ.
     So, let us shout, “Hallelujah!  Christ has washed away our sins!”
     So, let us sing, “Hallelujah!  God has made us to be heirs!”
     However, though we are the honored recipients of God’s mercy and His grace, it’s entirely about Him and Him alone.
     So, let us kneel in adoration!  Let us kneel in humbleness!
     And let our hearts in reverence, repeat the words of Paul: 
                   “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
                    the only wise God, be honour and glory
                    for ever and ever.”      1 Timothy 1:17
                                                                                          M. Robbins