The place of highest honor

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The place of highest honor

God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. – Philippians 2:9

Colossians 1:15-22

 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

The president of the United States has the privilege of recognizing those who are considered the “best of the best” civilians in America.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy conceived the institution of awarding The Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the nation’s highest civilian honor. It is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Typically the medal is bestowed upon the recipient by the sitting president who has chosen them. Between 1963 and 2021, more Than 550 civilians had been so honored. Two people, Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell were two-time recipients.

The award symbolizes an idea that anyone, no matter their origin or standing in society can live out the highest, most noble ideals. In doing so, they inspire others to do likewise.

Does the Lord Jesus Christ deserve the place of highest honor and devotion? If an American president were around in the first century, would he have presented The Presidential Medal of Freedom to Him? Would His meritorious contributions to humanity, to world peace, to cultural or other significant endeavors warranted it? In all honesty, I suppose it would matter who the President was.

But in fact, the question is irrelevant. Because the Most High God, the highest existing authority has already granted Him the place of highest honor. The Father has proclaimed for all eternity that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is above all other names. In an act of total submission to the Father and total dedication to the eternal salvation of the human race, the Lord Jesus Christ chose to die for the sins of the world. He achieved reconciliation between the holy, pure, and righteous Father and sinful, fallen, tainted humanity. He established peace between heaven and on earth.

He demonstrated the accuracy and efficacy of His teaching for all to follow.

Luke 14:11 Those who humble themselves will be exalted.

REFLECT & PRAY

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.

Father strengthen me to give and maintain the Lord Jesus Christ the place of highest honor in my life.

INSIGHT

Very often the value of the gift is not based upon its cost, but rather its source. That is why so many people hold in high esteem heirlooms that they have handed down to them from cherished family members. They have great sentimental value, regardless of their monetary value.

How can the worth be measured of eternal life, forgiveness, unconditional acceptance, and adoption into the Father’s Forever Family? These free gifts have been bestowed by the Son of God upon all those who believe in Him. The Father has revealed Himself through His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

Colossians 2:9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

2 Corinthians 4:4 Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Regarding the work of redemption, as far as the Father and the Son are concerned, “It is finished.” All that was needed has been done and made ready and available to all who accept it. If the Christian faith was summed up with one word, it would be the word DONE. If all of the other religions in the world were summed up with one word, it would be DO (Greg Laurie).

All that children of the King receive from the Father is freely given. We do not work for nor do we earn it. It is all grace.

The 1964 Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, Austria. The British two-man bobsled team finished their first run and were in second place. As they prepared for their second run, they realized that a bolt was broken. Without it, they would be disqualified and out of the competition.

Eugenio Monti of Italy, one of the most successful athletes in winter sports, with 10 world championships and 6 Olympic medals became aware of the problem. He lent Team Britain a bolt from off his sled. The British team fixed their sled and went on to win the gold medal. Team Italy finished third.

It was an incredible gesture of unselfishness and the best-known performance of Monti’s sporting career. When queried, Eugenio Monti replied, “Nash didn’t win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run.”

Because of his magnanimous act, Monti was awarded the De Coubertin Medal for Sportsmanship by the International Olympic Committee. He was its first recipient. The committee recognizes athletes who demonstrate the true spirit of sportsmanship. Olympians consider it the highest honor possible. There is no specialized training regimen designed to prepare people to win this award, except of course the high personal values and good decisions made in life itself.

Although the Lord Jesus Christ was God, He did not think of equality with God as something He had to hold on to. Rather He gave up His divine privileges, became a human being, and assumed the humble position of a slave. He further humbled himself in total submission to the Father’s will and died a criminal’s death. Consequently, the Father highly exalted Him and gave Him the place of highest honor and a name above all other names.

The Lord Jesus Christ received recognition and the applause of heaven. He showed the way for all children of the King. Those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 14:11).

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