I Honor You

What does it mean to honor God? 

The reason why I bring this up is because this idea of honoring God sets a high bar on 

how we are to live each day. There is a line from the song “Amazing Love” which says “In all I do I honor you”. I have had many  people come up to me in the past and say that they feel very uncomfortable singing those lyrics.  They feel they can’t honestly say this to God. Can you?  Also, as followers of Jesus,

how many of us can sing the line from that same song "It Is My Joy to honor You". Let’s  take a minute 

to explore  what it means to honor God. 

We honor God: 

By showing Him love and reverence through relationship, worship, service and obedience.

We also honor God by the way we live and represent Him to others.

This is how the dictionary defines honor:

·         High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem   
·         Good name; reputation.
·         Glory or recognition; distinction.
·         A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction 
·         A title conferred for achievement.
·         High rank.
·         The dignity accorded to position  
·         Great privilege

·         Principled uprightness of character; personal integrity

Lets look at what the Bible says about honoring God :

Psalm 22:23 NIV 
You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, 

all you descendants of Israel!

Proverbs 3:9 NIV 
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops;

Proverbs 14:31 NIV 
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the 

needy honors God.

Isaiah 26:13 NIV 
O LORD, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.

Isaiah 29:13 NIV 
The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, 

but their hearts are far from me.Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.   

Malachi 3:16 NIV 
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. 

A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD 

and honored his name.

John 5:23 NIV 
that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son 

does not honor the Father, who sent him.

2 Corinthians 8:19 NIV 
What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.

We also honor God by they way we live. God commands us to live a Holy life:

Romans 12:1 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,  

holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Ephesians 5:3 NIV 
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, 

or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

Colossians 3:12 NIV 
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, 

kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 NIV 
that each of you should learn to control his own body  in a way that is holy and honorable,

1 Thessalonians 4:7 NIV 
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

1 Peter 1:15 NIV 
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

1 Peter 1:16 NIV 
for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 

I think you all get the idea. If we want to honor God we need to love Him, be obedient to Him, 

serve Him with excellence and pursue holiness in our lives.  As the world watches us we need to remind ourselves  that the way we live can have a great impact on the way people view Christianity and God.   

If we say we are Christians but live in such a way that contradicts our beliefs, what kind of witness to God and the Gospel are we representing to the world.

In the pursuit of holiness we are going to need a lot of help.  The Holy Spirit is our counselor and will provide the wisdom, teaching and strength to live a life set apart to God. The Holy Spirit will help us live in this world, but not be of this world. 

Challenge:

Stay close to God's Word. Take time to pray each day. Pursue counsel and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. 

In doing these disciplines daily, you begin a process that can open your heart and fill your mind with the  desire to honor God.  

I will leave you with this one last verse. Use it as a model for daily living:

Luke 10:27 NIV 
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength 

and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself. 

Just Sayin………………..Dave