The first words of Proverbs 3.9 are “Honor the Lord.” If we stop and ask the question, “How can we best honor the Lord?” there are several answers that come to mind.
They are worth our contemplation.
(1) At the top of the list is Deuteronomy 6.5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.”
Loving God with our whole heart puts Him first in every aspect of our lives. It means valuing our relationship with Him above everything else. This lifestyle honors the Lord.
(2) Jesus explained what it means to love the Lord when He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14.15).
Obedience is a tangible expression of our love for God. When we obey His commandments and walk in His ways, we honor Him. We show Him the reverence and respect He is due.
(3) Jesus taught that serving those in need is like serving Himself. Our actions towards others, especially the marginalized and vulnerable, reflect the character of God.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'” (Matthew 25.40).
This is the way we serve and honor Him.
(4) Proverbs reminds us that doing what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice (Proverbs 21.3).
God values the authenticity of our hearts and desires. He wants us to live uprightly, aligned with His will, actions, and attitudes. This is what honors the Lord.
(5) Another way to honor God is to recognize that everything we have is actually His gift to humans.
When we make available to God what He has placed in our hands, we honor Him with our trust and reliance upon His provision.
Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce. (Proverbs 3.9)
The term most used for honoring God with our substance is stewardship. A steward is someone who manages another’s property.
Everything we have is not our private property, rather it is loaned to us by God. He allows us to prosper and enjoy it. But ultimately, it is His and we honor Him by faithfully using it in His service.
Stewardship is a matter of trust. When we handle God’s property His way by asking Him what to do with the resources He has given us, then we learn to trust His provision.
Then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine. (Proverbs 3.10)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed the issue of worry (Matthew 6.25-34).
He made the point that if we make God our priority, honoring Him with all the possessions He entrusts to us, everything we need will be cared for.
Here is His summary of that message.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
The issue of honoring God begins with our love for Him. God doesn’t leave us with fuzzy ideas about what it means to love Him.
It means to trust Him with the things He has put in our hands and to use them responsibly in the service of other people
Honoring God means aligning our lives with His attitudes and actions.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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