Daily Devotional for Wednesday, March 18

How To Be Honored as a Guest

“When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” Luke 14:8-11.

In a culture that often urges us to promote ourselves, Jesus taught a radically different path: humility. At a dinner gathering, He noticed guests scrambling for the seats of honor. Using this scene, He told a parable about how to behave as a guest—pointing us to a deeper spiritual truth. Rather than seeking to elevate ourselves, Jesus calls us to take the low seat, to embrace humility and to let honor come from others, not from our own ambition. 

The principle is simple but profound: those who lift themselves up will be brought low, but those who humble themselves will be lifted up. God sees the posture of our hearts. When we choose humility, not only do we reflect the heart of Christ, but we also position ourselves for the kind of honor that truly matters—honor in the eyes of God. 

This applies beyond dinner tables—it touches how we serve, speak, lead and love. The way to be honored is to stop seeking it and to start serving. True greatness in God’s kingdom begins in low places, not high thrones. 

TODAY’S THOUGHT 

God honors the humble and resists the proud. Choose the low place, and let Him lift you in due time.

Steven Ridings