Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.

Her words have stayed with me for all of my adult life. I was 18 years old. As a second-time guest at a Bible study, the youth pastor’s wife introduced me to several other kids by saying, “This is Don – he is a really neat guy – you need to get to know him!”

Me? A “really neat guy”?

What she did was esteem me before others. She expressed a value for me that I did not even possess for myself. By introducing me to others as a valuable, worthy person, she used the occasion as an opportunity to exercise love.

She determined my worth and value by the way she talked about me. This is the essence of the word “honor.”

Most of us in the church family are more conscious of our personal “ugliness” than anyone will ever know. We beat ourselves up and often come to church beaten by the world. Should church be a place that adds to our sense of failure and insecurity?

Of course not! Honor someone with value and affirmation today. A kind word and a smile. A hug and a warm embrace. A note or a quick phone call. Any soul Jesus died for was a soul of eternal worth and value to Him. We are not flattering people: we are establishing their true worth in the sight of God.

Why should we value others any less than He did?