John Bevere recently wrote a book called Honor's Reward.  He stated that to begin his research, he went down to his local Barnes & Noble and asked two employees to help him find the books on honor.  Searching the computer at the kiosk, he found that there was not a single book on the subject, other than an old military book.

Honor is an essential component of the Christian mind, of the Christian way, and the Christian walk:

Joh 12:26  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

 

Joh 5:21  For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

Joh 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

Joh 5:23  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Describing heaven in the book of Revelation, the apostle John takes it for granted that all citizens of heaven understand honor, give and receive it, and are blessed by it.  CPA's must know math; certain programmers have to know Java; and spirituality requires honor.

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Yet, as essential as honor is in the Old Testament and New Testament, 21st-century America has surgically removed the concept from its lexicon. 

If you brought Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr to the year 2010 and asked them why they were fighting about "honor," they would look at you as though you were crazy. 

If you pointed at John Wayne and told Hamilton that Wayne was "an honorable man," Hamilton would immediately know what you meant, though most Americans would not.  If you pointed at Lady Ga-Ga and told Hamilton that she was not an "honorable woman," Hamilton would instantly know what you were saying.

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Samurai in rural areas could dominate and abuse the local peasants if they wished, and Imperial law enforcement might often be too far removed to do anything about it.  However, samurai did not wish to be loathed and held in contempt by citizenry; they wished to be admired, honored, and entrusted with responsibility.  Hence the "warrior's code of honor" -- honesty, loyalty, mercy, protection of the weak, especially of women and children.

Gail Gray was born in Windsor, Missouri in 1928 with severe Down Syndrome and a very low IQ.  Gray's second parent died in 1958, leaving him an orphan at 30.  The town allowed Gray to wander from house to house, staying for short spells and doing odd jobs.

Before long, Gray took up residence at an assisted-care facility for the elderly.  He developed a habit:  when one of the elderly would die, he would visit the funeral home, peer inside the casket, shuffle back, stand with his feet together, and tearfully salute the person.  The sincerity sold the action.

Gray would also stop on the street and, in Forrest Gump style, salute funerals going by.  And the flag going by in a parade.  And the president whenever he saw him on TV.

The home closed in October 1976, putting Gail Gray on the street again.  He didn't have to wander long, because he died of a heart attack in November 1976.

Businesses closed, policemen carried Gray's casket, and Gray was given one of the largest funerals in the history of the town.  The one giving the eulogy finished it by stepping down beside the casket and saluting Gray.

The town loved and honored Gray ... why?  Because Gray honored others. 

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In December 1999, Time Magazine declared The Simpsons the "best" TV series of the 20th century.  Its stated purpose is to mock and to shame American culture, family, and society.  A cartoon is a cartoon, but hopefully our generation will be defined by honor, rather than degradation.

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Everyone in the gospels who honored Jesus Christ received a reward.  An example is the centurion who, in military style, honored Jesus in faith.  Jesus not only granted him a miracle, but praised the centurion to the city ... and recorded him in the Bible.   Remember the 'disonourable' sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet?  Her honoring of Jesus trumped her past errors.  We're all one prayer and repentance away from fully-restored honor.