Honoring God

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1 Kings 14:8 Despising God’s Blessings

I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. 1 Kings 14:8

When a person is given something by someone else, he is expected to honor the gift and the person who gave it. It is not expected that he will throw out the gift, nor talk bad about the person who gave it. Acting in this way will be considered rude, inconsiderate and ungrateful.

Ahijah had brought word to King Jeroboam that God had taken the kingdom from the family of David and gave it to him, but he chose to refuse to obey God and follow Him with all of his heart.

Blessings come from God on a daily basis to those who are willing to follow Him. While some of the greatest blessings are not physical, many are physical blessings. Often those blessings are things taken from those in the world not following Him, to bless His people.

Recognizing that those blessings came from the Lord is the first step in honoring God with those blessings. Many feel as though they got the blessings themselves or that they deserve those blessings.

When this occurs, many will choose to continue in the ways of the world, turning to false gods, rather than to God. They begin to trust in the blessings and themselves, rather than trusting in God and obeying God with all of their heart, despising the blessing that was given to them.

True believers will recognize what God has given them and honor God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. Turning away to false gods will not be an option in their lives.

If you take time to examine your life, you will most likely be able to see how God has blessed you in many ways. Some of those ways are with things that He has taken from the world and given to you.

In your time of blessing, do not despise His gifts to you and turn back to the ways of the world. Just as quickly as He gave you those gifts, God can remove them. Show gratefulness to God by choosing to obey His word and doing what is right in His eyes.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know what God has given you; that you will honor God with all of your life; that God will give you strength to do what is right in His eyes; and that God will guide you in using what He has blessed you with for His glory and honor.

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Judges 5:3 Sing To The Lord

Here this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. Judges 5:3

People will often sing praises to or about others whom they want to honor. These praises may be in physical song, or they may just be lots of great words about them. Sometimes the praise will be directly to the person, while at other times it is to others about them.

This lifts a person up and honors them above the normal. It also takes the focus off of self and puts it on another person.

Deborah sings a song of praise to God telling the kings and rulers that she will sing to the Lord praises in song.

Going through life, people can easily find things to complain about. Problems arise in nearly every area of life, bringing most people down and removing all joy. Depression, sadness and sorrow can be found everywhere. Many believers can be found in the same situation.

However, no one has done anything greater than what God has done in providing forgiveness of sins and giving an undeserving person eternal life. Instead of complaining and being in depression, believers need to be thinking of what God has done for them and sing songs of praise.

Despite the challenges of life, there can be songs of joy and praise being sung to God because of what He has done and is doing. It will lift up the spirit of the person singing, the spirits of those around him and it will lift up God and honor Him.

Singing praise to God from the heart is something that has to be chosen by the individual. Doing so will be a witness to the world of who God is.

Every day you will face different types of challenges in life. You will have a choice as to whether you will complain and be depressed about those challenges, or you can sing songs of praise to God in spite of those challenges.

Do not let the world win your heart and cause you to complain. Be different from the world and look at what God has done and is doing for you and find a reason to sing a song of praise to Him. Sing in your heart, sing out loud and let God know how worthy He is for what He has done.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will have songs of praise to God on your heart at all times; that you will tell others of what God has done in your life; that you will choose to praise God rather than complain to God; and that you will honor God in your praises.

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Deuteronomy 16:17 Bring A Gift To God

Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. Deuteronomy 16:17

It is common that when a person goes to someone’s celebration party that he brings a gift. This is done to honor the person being celebrated. Some people will bring a gift when visiting someone that they have not seen in a long time out of love for that person.

Although some people expect to give expensive gifts, all a gift has to be is one from the heart and in proportion to one’s own abilities.

After talking about three major annual festivals, Moses tells the people to bring a gift to God in proportion to how God had blessed them to each festival.

Since Jesus came the focus on the major festivals of the Old Testament have been mostly set aside. God is no longer requiring everyone to gather at annual festivals. Though believers do not necessarily gather for festivals, they are to get together for worship on a regular basis.

Just as the people were expected to provide for the needs of the tabernacle in the Bible, believers are to provide abundantly for the needs of the church today.

Regardless of social status, finances, bills or anything else, every believer has been blessed of God with something. When the believer goes to church to worship and learn more of God and His word, he must bring a gift in proportion to how God has blessed him.

Whether the gift is two cents, or a thousand dollars does not matter to God, but that it comes from a heart of gratefulness of how God has blessed. When blessed a lot, the amount can be higher. Or when blessed a little the amount can be less as long as it comes from the heart to honor God and His church.

Take a moment to notice how much God has blessed you with material or financial provisions. These things are not given to you so that you may horde them, but to pour back into His church and His kingdom.

Show your gratefulness to God and trust in His provision by given a portion of it back to Him on a regular basis. The church that you attend, that is feeding you His word, has needs to be met. You can be a part of meeting those needs by giving some of what God has blessed you with financially, physically and with time and effort.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will see how God has blessed you; that God will provide abundantly for you; that you will gratefully give to meet the needs of God’s church; and that God will multiply what you are able to give to build His kingdom here on earth.

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Numbers 27:13-14 Sin Can Have Severe Consequences

After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters of the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes. Numbers 27:13-14

No one really wants to miss out on big events that occur. Everyone wants to be a part of something great that is occurring. At times people will allow bad habits or activities to get in the way and block them out from the event. Bad habits don’t seem bad, until consequences show up later.

God told Moses that he would soon die and not go into the promised land because he did not honor God and disobeyed Him in the Desert of Zin. This was when he struck the rock, rather than speak to it as commanded.

Most people do not think ahead of what the results of their actions of right now might be down the road. Their thinking is only in the right here and now, not the future. Often the immediate actions do not appear to have any future consequences.

Obedience to God has immediate and future consequences that are not always directly visible. One simple sin can easily put a person on a different path than what God had originally intended. All Moses did was strike a rock, rather than speak to it and he was not allowed to go into the promised land.

One of the greatest priorities of a believer is obedience to God. This proves trust in God and not self.

God has a great plan for each and every believer who is willing to obey Him. However, if there is disobedience, that plan may have to change due to the consequences of that sin.

As a believer, God has a plan for your life. He is willing to show you that plan and guide your steps. Do not allow a temporary pleasure of sin to get in the way and cause you to miss out on what God has for you.

Listen to and obey every command God gives you so that you can receive the promises of God. Trust God that He knows what is best for you, rather than trusting yourself or this fallen world.

Honor God with your whole life as an obedient servant, not just in words.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will obey all the commands God gives you; that you will honor God in every area of your life; and that you will not allow sin to block what God has for you.

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Leviticus 10:3 God Is To Be Honored

Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.” Aaron remained silent. Leviticus 10:3

When a person meets with certain high-level people, there are often certain protocols to be followed. There are things that are required to be done and other things that are not be done in order to have the meeting.

All of this is done in order to honor the high-level person being met. If one chooses not to do these things, then the meeting will not occur.

Aaron had two sons that offered unauthorized fire before God and God killed them. Moses said told Aaron that God said that when someone approaches Him, He will be proved holy and honored before all people.

While most people are willing to honor famous people, many of those same people do not show God the same level of honor. Some will act as though God is just their good old buddy and they can do anything they want.

On Sundays when they go to church, many will wear just whatever they want to be comfortable, instead of their best to honor God. During prayers, they talk to God as just the ‘man upstairs’, instead of as God–the creator of the universe and Almighty King.

As a believer grows in God, he should increase in his honor to and for God. It is acceptable for a new believer to act without great honor, but the honor and respect for God should grow on a regular basis.

Honor for God should be seen in the believer both inside and outside the church. The world needs to see that honor and it shows a heart that loves God.

Only you and God can see your heart and life and truly know how you are honoring God. Live your life in such a way that the world will see that you honor God with everything in you.

He is the Creator of everything and has forgiven you of sins and given you eternal life. He is to be the Almighty King of your life. He is worthy of all honor.

Do not let the way you dress, act or speak bring any dishonor to God in any way. How do you honor God today with your life?

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will honor God with all that you say and do; that people will see that you honor God with your life; and that God will be pleased with your life.