Title: Five Ways to Honor God
Text: 1 Samuel 2:30 — “...for those who honor Me I will honor...”
Introduction
In a world that constantly seeks its own glory, the Bible presents a counter-cultural command: the call to honor God. In 1 Samuel 2:30, God gives a profound promise: He will honor those who honor Him. But what does it mean to "honor"?
• In Hebrew, the word is kabôd, which implies "weight" or "glory." To honor God is to give Him the "weight" He deserves in our lives.
• In Greek, the word is timao, meaning to "value" or "estimate highly."
Honoring God is not merely a verbal exercise. God explicitly rejected those who honored Him with their lips while their hearts were far from Him (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:7-9). True honor is practical, visible, and sacrificial. Today, we will examine five concrete ways we can honor God in our daily lives.
I. Honoring God with Our Material Goods
Our bank account is often the most accurate map of our hearts. Honoring God begins with recognizing His ownership over everything we possess.
• Recognition of Source: Proverbs 3:9-10 commands us to "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce." This is an act of trust, acknowledging that everything comes from Him.
• Fidelity and Purpose: We are not called to give God our "leftovers." According to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, giving should be systematic and proportional to our prosperity. God loves a "cheerful giver," not a reluctant one (2 Corinthians 9:7).
• The Excellence Principle: In Malachi 1:6-8, God rebukes Israel for offering blind and lame animals. When we give God our worst, we despisie His name. Honor requires excellence.
• The Warning of Hypocrisy: The story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) reminds us that God examines the heart's intent, not just the outward amount.
Application: Generosity is the outward evidence of an inward submission to God’s Lordship.
II. Honoring God with Our Time
Time is a non-renewable resource, and how we spend it reveals what we truly worship.
• Seeking His Presence: Like the Palmist in Psalm 27:4, honoring God means desiring to dwell in His house and gaze upon His beauty above all else.
• The Discipline of Prayer: Daniel honored God by maintaining a disciplined life of prayer three times a day, even when it threatened his life (Daniel 6:10).
• Redeeming the Time: Ephesians 5:16 tells us to "make the best use of the time, because the days are evil." We honor God when we prioritize eternal work over temporal distractions.
III. Honoring God with Our Talents
God has distributed spiritual gifts and natural talents to every believer, not for our fame, but for His glory.
• Stewardship of Gifts: Romans 12:3-8 explains that the church is a body with many members, each with a different function. Using your gift is an act of honor.
• The Danger of Passivity: In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the servant who buried his talent was called "wicked and slothful." To hide what God gave you is to dishonor the Giver.
• Biblical Worship through Service: We honor God when we use our talents in the assembly—through teaching, singing, giving, and serving—always with the goal of mutual edification (1 Corinthians 14:26).
IV. Honoring God with Our Priorities
To honor someone is to give them "first place."
• First Things First: Jesus gave us the ultimate priority in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." If God is second, He is not honored.
• Heavenly Mindedness: We are called to set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:1-2).
• Choosing the "Good Portion": Like Mary in Lucas 10:42, we must choose the one thing that is truly necessary: sitting at the feet of Jesus.
V. Honoring God with Our Conduct and Personal Presentation
The believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, how we carry ourselves and present ourselves to the world matters to God.
• Conduct as a Testimony: Our "quiet and gentle spirit" and godly character carry more weight in honoring God than any outward adornment (1 Peter 3:2-4).
• Modesty and Dignity: In 1 Timothy 2:9-10, the Bible calls for modesty, self-control, and decency. Our clothing and appearance should never distract from the Gospel, but rather reflect a heart of humility and reverence.
• The Living Sacrifice: Romans 12:1-2 urges us to present our entire bodies as a "living sacrifice." This is our "spiritual worship." Every choice—what we say, where we go, and how we look—should be an act of reverence to the Lord.
See Also
Conclusion
Honoring God is not an occasional event; it is a life-encompassing posture. When we honor Him with our money, our minutes, our abilities, our choices, and our bodies, we align ourselves with the purpose for which we were created.
Remember the promise of 1 Samuel 2:30: "Those who honor Me I will honor." You cannot out-honor God. When you make His glory your primary concern, He takes your life into His hands.
