HONOURING GOD.

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*HONOURING GOD.*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Prov 3:9 *Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:*

*Insight and Highlight.*

When you treat God anyhow, you will get anyhow treatment from Him.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

Honoring God is submittng in humility and accepting the sovereignty of God.

It is best expressed as the act of totally accepting the dominion of God. You can not be greater than God who made you.

We are subordinate to God.

We must understand and accept a Master-servant relationship expressed in a servant's submission and his role as a subordinate to the master's authority.

Matt 10:24 says *The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.*

We are Jesus' disciples. We must be humble and obedient, recognizing that we are not greater than the Lord, our Master.

God demands we honour Him because Prov 3:9 tells us so.

God takes exception to when we do not honour Him.

Honouring God may best be further expressed by understanding what honoring God is not. We will discuss this today.

Honoring God is not when people claim to honour God with their lips, but their hearts are saying something totally different.

Though we honour God with our lips, honouring God must be with a heart of devotion. It must be from the heart.

Isaiah 23:13 *Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:*

He further says in v14 that He will proceed to do a marvellous work and wonder among His people but *......the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.*

Jesus in  Matt 15:8 and Mk 7:6, descibes people who outwardly claim to honor God with their lips but whose hearts are far from Him. 

God takes exception to these people because they are only outwardly religious, but there is no genuine inner devotion. 

Jesus says they are hypocrites. They see honouring Him as a ritual and tradition that are followed as observance but not with a life of separation to God. You can not observe God's ordinance without a total devotion to Him.

True observance of God's ordinance and true honour to Him is in true worship. It is more than just outward expressions.

John 4:24 teaches us that true honour to God is a sincere and heartfelt devotion to God expressed in worship in spirit and in truth.

Hannah says her heart rejoices in the Lord, 1 Sam 2:1. David tells us that let everything within him praise the Lord, Psalm 103:1. Mary says her soul magnifies the Lord, Lk 1:46.

Prov 3:9 tells us that we can honour God through our giving.

Holiness, dedication, commitment, and many other godly virtues are ways to honour God, ref 2 Pet 1:5-9.

People who do not honour God will fall short of His covering.

God transformed Nebuchadnezzar into an animal for seven years, after which he regained his sanity, Dan 4: 25-35.

He afterward then praised God, honoured and acknowledged Him as supreme.

Those who do not honour God are proud, and God humbles them as He humbled Nebudchanezzar.

You can not be too big to bow to God. The story of Nebudchadnezzar is a reminder that if the most powerful rulers are subject to God's judgment, what can God not do with people who are less?

Those who do not humble themselves before God tend to claim to be equal to God, but God makes them lesser than they are. Herod was reduced to nothing and eaten by worms, Acts 12:18-25.

Pharaoh and his chariots were reduced to nothing, Exd 14:28 says *".....there remained not so much as one of them.*

Would you not rather humble yourself than for God to humble you?

*Remorse corner.*

When you fail to humble yourself before God, He will humble you! ref Rom 9:17.

*Call to Word action.*

James 4:6 *But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

The attitude to which we come to God is the attitude to which He will meet with us.

*Prayer.*

Lord, help me and give me grace to remain humble in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and be blessed as you go today.

God bless you.

Shalom.