Revelation 4:11 Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.

I was reviewing some Scripture memory recently and this phrase stood out from Revelation 4:11: Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive… the honor. Jesus, among other things deserves honor. Many years ago, Chinese farmers theorized that they could eat their big potatoes and use the small ones for seed. Consequently, they ate the big potatoes and planted the small ones. As a result of this,  over the years, nature eventually reduced the size of all the potatoes they harvested to marbles. They learned through this bitter experience that they could not have the best things of life for themselves and use their leftovers for seed. The law of the harvest reflected the planting!

What is the original meaning of the Greek word for honor? A valuing by which the price is fixed; the thing prized; deference, veneration; the honor of one who outranks others, pre-eminence; preciousness. When we treat the precious things of God as if they were potatoes – we end up with a harvest of marbles. The temptation of life is to only give deference to the big things not realizing that it’s often the small things that carry far greater weight to God. Followers of Jesus often play marbles with diamonds. Those diamonds can come in the form of someone we deem insignificant – like the pauper in Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Or they can be found in a short, despised, tax collector climbing up a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

Jesus deserves honor or rather, He deserves gratitude. But like the Chinese farmers we save the big potatoes for ourselves and plant the small ones to harvest later. We fail to realize and recognize that He is in both and we owe Him our lives, and our gratitude, for all the good things He supplies. R.C. Sproul wrote: Religious people are always profoundly disturbed when they discover that they are not, and never have been, true Christians. Does all of their religion count for nothing? Those hours in church, hours spent doing good things, hours involved in religious activity—do they not count for something in the presence of God? Do they not enable me to say: “Look at what I have done. Don’t I deserve heaven?” Sadly, thinking that I deserve heaven is a sure sign I have no understanding of the gospel

Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City and candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries once stated: “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It’s not even close.” Regarding the arrogance of Bloombergs comment, Bill Muehlenberg observed: Indeed, when folks are dead in their trespasses and sins, they are in no position to do anything meritorious or to boast about anything. They can only cast themselves on the mercy and grace of God. Yet countless millions of folks somehow think they deserve to go to heaven and that they are somehow meritorious enough in themselves to please God. What do you and I deserve? The very thing the ignorant, arrogant sinner who has rejected Jesus time and time again. In comparison, what does the Lamb of God, the King of kings, and Lord of lords deserve? Honor and Gratitude of the highest levels – everyday, at all times, in all situations. It all comes down to what do you value. What is prized and precious to you? Who deserves pre-eminence  above all others? Take the time to honor Him today being grateful for the big and small “potatoes” – in whatever form they choose to express themselves.