Here are a few things you better be sure of before you put them into play:

• Writing something down on a whiteboard or wall with a permanent marker.
• The game plan before a championship game.
• Whom you are about to marry.

God wants us to be very sure of how we define two important words: “good” and “honor.” Let's see what He has to say on these two subjects.

GOOD CAN BECOME AN ENEMY: Like eating honey, too much of a good thing is not so good. It's the same thing as letting too many three-point shots fly at the beginning of a game or generating too much speed at the beginning of a longer race.

You may pay for it dearly later on, even though you get ahead of the game at the start. Don't let a good thing get out of control. Too much of it can be bad. Balance is better. Let moderation win.

HANDLE HONOR JUST RIGHT: Honor is best left in the hands of another. When I put my hands on honoring myself, I lose my honor. Something else grips me when I seek my own honor -- a dangerous duo of PRIDE and SELFISH AMBITION.

Those two barrels will eventually drive me right into a ditch. Instead, I must let God and others handle my promotion, my honor. That may be hard to do, but God says it's best. I must trust Him for the greater reward.

Reflect: How are you handling “good” and “honor”? Are balance and moderation truly winning the day with you in all areas? Are you trusting God for promotion, or is self-promotion bringing you the honor you seek?

A prayer to consider: LORD, make me all-star good when it comes to moderation and balance. Help me to know when too much is too much and too little is too little. I really need Your help to do this.

Don't let me give in to the temptation of self-promotion. I trust You through others to lift me up in due season. And I press on for Your good and Your honor just like Jesus. Amen.