Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- November 6, 2010
“He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” John 7:18
He is not always understood, but He can be trusted exclusively. Honor and glory goes to the One who can be thoroughly trusted. His word is His bond; it is never to be broken. This is trust at the highest level.
Therefore, He solicits honor by His very nature. He is the most deserving of honor. His character calls for it and His holiness demands it. Foolish and unwise are we when we honor ourselves. Self-honoring is as about as awkward as the physical act of patting yourself on the back. It looks strange for one thing and secondly, it draws attention to the wrong person. Honor is to be given, not taken. It is to be bestowed, not withheld.
The act of honoring God facilitates authenticity. Honor means you are about truth and you flee from what is false. There is a divine dignity in your behavior and speech. It is easy to honor God because he is honorable. It is a privilege to honor God because He has honored us with His presence. Do not substitute God’s place of honor with anyone or anything, especially yourself.
Honoring God starts with our attitude. Honor by definition means you revere, respect, and fear God. You hallow His name and speak it with humility. There is God and there is none other besides Him. Your words are a reflection of your attitude; therefore, they are honorable, and you esteem Him by the way you live.
You do certain things—like honor others—because you honor God. You do not do certain things—like abuse your body—because you honor God. You recognize your body as the temple of His Spirit; therefore, you honor Him with clean living. Your speech is free of obscenities because you honor God. You love your wife because you honor God.
You respect your husband because you honor God. You honor your parents because you honor God. The bottom line is you honor what God honors, and you dishonor what He dishonors. This is why you embrace righteousness and abhor sin. Honor is what God desires and what He deserves. Honor Him first, and it becomes natural to honor others.
If you reverse the order, it is impossible to honor Him with a whole heart. Your true life in Christ flows out of your honor for God. A life of honoring God and others means you graduate to heaven with honors. Honor Him with your time, treasures, and talents.
Taken from the November 4th reading in Boyd Bailey’s Seeking Daily the Heart of God. This 365 day devotional book is a compilation of the reader’s favorites from Wisdom Hunters daily devotional. Andy Stanley says, “I have walked with Boyd for over 20 years and I am definitely wiser for it. You are going to love this book!”
