How To Honor God in 2024
“But I will honor those who honor Me, and
I will despise those who think lightly of Me.”
1 Samuel 2:30 (NLT)
The word honor in the Old Testament is “kabad” and means heavy, substantive, and weighty. In the New Testament, it is translated “doxa” and means glory or to glorify. When we honor God, we are glorifying Him, declaring His weight and worth to us as one of extreme value. To dishonor God would be to take Him lightly, treating Him with indifference or apathy.
God expressly promises to “honor” those who “honor” Him! That’s a promise you can claim and intentionally act upon. But how do we practically show honor to God? Let’s look at what His Word tells us. In Proverbs 3:9 (MSG) the Bible says, “Honor God with everything you own; give Him the first and the best.”
I honor God when I give Him my best! This Christmas, we honored those to whom we gave our best gifts. Those gifts were an expression of our love and respect. This is a great place to begin if we want to show our honor for God. Give Him your best. When you give God your best, He promises in the next verse to fill your life with provision and blessing.
Another way to show honor to God is found in verses 5 and 6 of that same chapter. Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
I honor God when I acknowledge Him first! Before making any decision, large or small, do you take time to acknowledge God in prayer and seek His direction? Seeking someone’s counsel that you respect shows that you honor that person and respect their opinion. When you seek God’s counsel in every decision so that your response would be one in alignment with His will, you are honoring Him; you can be assured that He will give you direction and make your paths straight.
I also honor God when I reserve my worship exclusively for Him! When tempted to make someone or something else the object of our worship, Jesus said, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” Matthew 4:10b (NIV)
As we begin this New Year, here are four practical ways to honor God from Scripture:
GIVE GOD THE FIRST DAY OF MY WEEK IN WORSHIP AT CHURCH
GIVE GOD THE FIRST PART OF MY DAY IN PRAYER AND READING HIS WORD
GIVE GOD THE FIRST CONSIDERATION IN ALL MY DECISIONS
GIVE GOD THE FIRST PORTION OF ALL MY INCOME
As you honor God, here is the promise He makes to you, “But I will honor those who honor Me, and I will despise those who think lightly of Me.” 1 Samuel 2:30 (NLT)