3d • General discussion
Kingdom Key - Point 89
I Honor and Build Up Those Around Me
“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” — Romans 12:10 (KJV)
Kingdom Lesson
One of the greatest paradoxes in the Kingdom of God is that the people who become the most influential are rarely those who spend their lives seeking influence. The leaders who leave the deepest mark on history are not remembered because they demanded honor, but because they gave it so freely to others. In a world consumed with self-promotion, personal branding, and climbing over people to reach the top, the Kingdom of God presents an entirely different model of greatness. Jesus taught that whoever desires to become great must first become the servant of all. The Kingdom never measures leadership by the number of people serving the leader; it measures leadership by the number of people the leader serves, strengthens, and empowers. This is why Paul’s command in Romans 12:10 is not merely good advice for healthy relationships—it is a revelation of the very culture of Heaven.
There is a leadership culture the world has trained us to admire. It celebrates competition over collaboration, recognition over faithfulness, and platform over character. Leaders are taught to guard their position, protect their influence, and quietly view the success of others as a threat to their own. The Kingdom of God rejects that entire mindset. Paul writes, “in honour preferring one another.” Those four words overturn the value system of the world. They teach us that Kingdom leadership is not about demanding recognition but about intentionally giving recognition. It is not about protecting our significance but about helping others discover theirs. Secure leaders never fear another person’s success because their identity has already been settled in Christ.
Honor is much deeper than good manners or polite speech. Throughout Scripture, honor is connected to value. To honor someone is to recognize the worth God Himself has placed upon their life. Every person you meet bears the image of the Creator. Every employee, every child, every spouse, every church member, every customer, every stranger you encounter possesses immeasurable value because Christ considered them worthy of His own blood. Kingdom leaders never reduce people to what they can produce. They refuse to see individuals merely as employees, volunteers, clients, or opportunities. They see sons and daughters created in the image of God. When leaders learn to see people the way God sees people, honor becomes the natural response of the heart.
One of the greatest examples of honor in all of Scripture is found in a man who never wrote a book of the Bible, never performed a recorded miracle, and never occupied the highest position of leadership. His name was Barnabas, and appropriately, Scripture tells us his name means “The Son of Consolation,” or “The Son of Encouragement.” When Saul of Tarsus was converted, the believers in Jerusalem wanted nothing to do with him. His reputation frightened them. His past overshadowed his future. Everyone remembered the persecutor. Barnabas saw the preacher. He took Saul by the hand, introduced him to the apostles, and believed in God’s work within him before others could see it. Years later, when John Mark failed and Paul refused to take him on another missionary journey, Barnabas again chose honor over criticism. He invested in a young man whom others believed had little left to offer. History tells the rest of the story. Saul became the Apostle Paul, and John Mark eventually wrote the Gospel of Mark. Two lives were changed because one man knew how to call greatness out of people instead of reminding them of their failures.
Jesus modeled this same spirit throughout His earthly ministry. He honored fishermen by calling them apostles. He honored children by welcoming them when others tried to send them away. He honored women in a culture that often ignored them. He honored lepers by touching them. He honored Zacchaeus by inviting Himself into his home before Zacchaeus ever changed his life. Then, on the night before the cross, the Creator of the universe knelt before His own disciples and washed their feet. Heaven’s King demonstrated forever that greatness is not found in being served but in serving others. If our Lord wrapped Himself with a towel, none of us should consider ourselves too important to honor the people God has placed in our lives.
Over the years I have become convinced that one encouraging sentence can alter the direction of an entire life. I have watched people spend decades believing they were insignificant simply because no one ever spoke life into them. I have also watched ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things because someone believed in them before they believed in themselves. Leadership has taught me that almost everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Some are carrying disappointments they never discuss. Others are silently questioning their value, their calling, or whether they have anything meaningful left to offer. That is why our words matter so deeply. We can become another voice reminding people of their failures, or we can become the voice God uses to remind them of their potential.
This principle reaches far beyond ministry. Parents shape the identity of their children by the words they repeatedly speak over them. Business owners establish the culture of their companies by the way they value their employees. Pastors either cultivate servants or spectators by the way they treat people. Husbands and wives build marriages through continual honor or slowly erode them through continual criticism. Every environment eventually becomes a reflection of the words most consistently spoken within it. People flourish where honor is present, and they wither where dishonor becomes the culture.
Perhaps one of the greatest evidences of spiritual maturity is learning to genuinely celebrate the success of someone else. Insecure leaders compare. Secure leaders rejoice. Jealousy asks, “Why them?” Honor asks, “How can I help them succeed?” The Kingdom is never diminished because another believer prospers, another church grows, another ministry flourishes, or another business succeeds with integrity. We are one Body serving one King. Every victory for the Kingdom is a victory for us all. We are not competing against one another; we are completing one another.
As I reflect over the years God has allowed me to pastor, coach, mentor, and encourage people, one truth becomes clearer with every passing year. We are not true successes until we create successors. Our greatest contribution will never be what we accomplish ourselves but what we inspire, strengthen, and release in others. Long after our sermons are forgotten, our businesses are sold, and our accomplishments fade into history, the people we believed in will continue carrying the Kingdom forward. That is a legacy worth pursuing.
So honor generously. Encourage intentionally. Celebrate freely. Speak life consistently. Look for the hidden potential God has placed within every person you meet and help them discover it for themselves. Because the people who most resemble Jesus are not those who spend their lives seeking honor.
They are the people who spend their lives giving it away.
Kingdom Quote
“People flourish where honor is present because honor calls out the greatness God placed within them before they can see it themselves.”
Kingdom Prayer
Father, give me the heart of Christ, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life for others. Remove every trace of pride, jealousy, comparison, and selfish ambition from my heart, and teach me to genuinely honor the people You have placed around me. Help me to see every person through Your eyes, recognizing their worth, their potential, and the purpose You have placed within them.
May my words bring healing, my encouragement strengthen the weary, and my leadership become a source of life wherever You send me. Let me build people more than platforms, celebrate others more than myself, and leave behind a legacy of honor that points every life I touch to Jesus Christ. In His precious name, Amen.
Pastor Robert E. Hardy
If these Kingdom Key Points have been a blessing to you and you want to see them go across the world in different languages — we invite you to pray about sowing a one time seed and or becoming a monthly ministry partner with us at www.wordoflifehouston.org. Together we can take these Kingdom principles to every nation, every language, and every generation. Thank you for believing in this mission.
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Kingdom Key - Point 89
