Today is my birthday, and I received several hundred happy birthday wishes on Facebook, email, texts, in the mail, and in person. Even though I am now 76 and probably should be past enjoying the attention and honor of all those congratulations, I still enjoy it and feel very loved and honored by all for remembering my birthday.

The Bible says that we ought to honor God. We also ought to honor the aged. Husbands are to honor their wives and children their parents. We are to honor our bosses and those over us in government. It also says that we ought to honor those in our church as fellow believers and even work at outdoing each other in giving honor. That is a nice kind of competition. God says that he will bring honor to us in this life if we glorify him with our life and also on those who humble themselves.

The primary emphasis in the Bible on receiving honor is at the Judgment Seat of Christ at the end of our lives. After we die and switch locations from earth to heaven, we switch bodies from this earthly one to our glorified body, which is like the body of Jesus. We will stand before Jesus, and He will honor us for what we have done with our lives. Some people will get very little honor, and others will receive a lot. Paul says that as star differs from star in glory, we will also differ in glory.

It takes faith to keep your eye on the finish line and be motivated by that event because we can’t see it and have never experienced it. It is easy to be motivated by earthly honor and glory because we see it, have experienced it, and have seen others get it. But the one who sets his mind on the heavenly finish line will live a life well pleasing to the Lord and will hear Him say at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”