Honor From Him Where value is placed, care is given. Where care is given, there is a reward in what is valued. When our first child, Haydn, was just a few years old, we got him his first video game. I remember thinking that because he was so young, I would maybe become a gamer, as he would not be able to keep interest in it for very long. The correction of this assumption was not long in coming as the game became his most valued interest and obsession. There was no time available for me on it. This was also largely due to the many other things of greater value to me occupying my time. For me, video games have never been rewarding as I have never given them the time to develop the necessary skills. Haydn, however, has been thoroughly rewarded with many years of gaming enjoyment on various platforms. His value of them resulted in a care that produced a great return of skill and pleasure for him. There was a great return on what he honored and cared for. Most people don’t necessarily have a problem with honor (value). However, there is a growing issue with the placement of honor and its results. There can be no expectation of eternal returns when honor is given to only temporal things. Much time and financial investment are committed to entertainment, hobbies, possessions, sports, and various personal infatuations. Where the greatest honor is placed, the greatest return is gained and enjoyed. Many of these things can be healthy and life-enhancing. The challenge comes, however, when these things are honored and cared for above God and what He has declared to be most treasured. Very often He is dishonored and disregarded altogether as honor for Him is rare and far between. For Him to be of value to our lives, His honor must be highly served. The degree to which He is honored is the degree to which there will be a reward in Him. He told Eli in 1 Samuel 2 that He would honor those who honor Him, but despise those who think lightly of Him. Honor of God will be known in how the resources of time and resources are allocated. He will greatly honor/reward those who have chosen the honor wisely. Notes Honor The recognition and provision of value: What is honored is cared for with value. What is cared for yields a return. The level of care determines the level of return. Honor from God is enabled by honor for Him 1 Samuel 2:30 (NLT) 30 “Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. The Kingdom of Heaven is an adjustment of honor placement Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT) 44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. 45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! Honor from God not a common priority John 5:44 (NLT) 44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. Key to honor from God – service for His Son John 12:26 NLT) 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. Humility under His hand leads to honor from it 1 Peter 5:6-7 (TLB) 6 If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in his good time he will lift you up. 7 Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you. Honor turned to dishonor with rejection Numbers 11:20 (NLT) 20 You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the LORD, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” A seat of honor for the heightened value of Him/His work for us Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. The greatest honor from God needs our honor of Him Ephesians 2:6 (NLT) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. Overview: Though God has already honored us in Christ, to experience this honor requires the giving of ours. The Kingdom of God is about elevating the honor of God above every other treasure in life. Though we may honor each other and things of the world, honor from God is needed/not common. Enabling honor from God comes through service to the Kingdom. Humility under God’s hand enables honor from it. Despising God’s honor leads to despising what we thought we wanted. In Christ, we’ve been given a seat in heaven, a most precious honor that still needs our honor to appreciate. Prayer: I am so grateful for the honor You gave me in the gift of all I need for life and godliness in Christ. As I honor You in the service of Your will, let Your honor be released on my life for Your glory and praise. Declarations: The Father values me so much that He honored me with the gift of His own Son. I am now part of His Kingdom, where the honor of Him enables all He’s already provided for me. My life is flooded with His goodness as I honor Him with humble service and devotion. I gladly let go of anything in this world to make the honor of my Father my highest priority. My highest desire and reward is to be in the presence of my Father, seated at His side, because I have honored Him with my life.