Intelligent Worship -- Honor God -- Part 6

 Intelligent Worship Brings Us Into The Presence of God. We Honor God. 

How do we Honor God? 

Proverbs 3:9

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest. 

In the Berean Study Bible the word 'wealth' is used. In the King James Version, the word 'substance' is used. In the New King James Version it says 'possessions'. They all mean the same thing. 

The word 'harvest' can also mean 'crops, income, revenue.' What do we learn from this? God requires us to willingly and obediently give Him the first portion of our income. We call this tithing. 

Leviticus 27:30, 32 “One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy. --- Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD." 

This is where we get that ten percent that we give to our church. A mere fraction of what God has given us. But we don't have to stop at just one tenth of our income. When the Spirit moves over the heart, we become more generous with our wealth, our possessions, our income. This is called a "Love Offering" and can be given to one's church and/or given as a donation into another's ministry: such as Missionary Support, or a nonprofit that also honors God with their works. 

How else do we Honor God? 

Malachi 3:16

At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.

We Honor God's Name when we think about Him. Philippians 4:8 tells us how to think about God:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Psalm 10:4

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 94:19

In the multitude of my thoughts (anxieties) within me Thy comforts delight my soul.

First we see the results of not thinking, not honoring, God with our thoughts. Then we see that as a result of thinking about God, we remember His Name in our troubles and He comforts us with Himself. 

The Lord Is, indeed, My Shepherd. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,  for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

How do we Honor God with our bodies? 

Romans 12:1, 2 is a good place to start.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy to God, well-pleasing, which is your reasonable (logical) service. 

And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, for you to prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God. 

Here we learn that we are to give more than mere possessions and the wealth of our bank accounts; we are to give God our bodies: willingly, obediently to His service. When we do this, and we may have to do it often for we fail Him at times, we give God all of what makes us who we are. 

We Honor God when we give Him our talents and abilities, the very things He has blessed us with and created within us. We Honor God when we give Him our desires, our self-will and our me attitude. These things get converted into His desires, His will and embrace His mercies into our thoughts that our attitudes submit obediently to His Word. 

His Word is Honest, Faithful, True. His Word is Alive. His Word fills our souls and overflows within us. His Word strengthens us in our weaknesses. His Word. We Honor God when we read His Word, study His Word, take His Word into our hearts and minds and souls. We Honor God when we believe His Word, trust His Word, embrace His Word. 

We Honor God with the works of our hands. We Honor God with our feet, choosing wise destinations. We Honor God with our eyes, endeavoring to see what He wants us to see. We Honor God with our ears, hearing and listening to only what glorifies Him. We Honor God with our every being, reaching out to Him and following close behind Him, that we not lose our way. 

We Honor God. And God is glorified with our honor. 

A Consecrated Life

 

2 Corinthians 7:1

  Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God’s purpose] in the fear of God. 

Having been saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, we still have an obligation to work with God's Holy Spirit to become a holy people, as God commands us to, for holiness or the lack thereof is not an option. 

1 Peter 1:15, 16 is quoting Leviticus 11:44 when he says, But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” While becoming holy is not something we can do on our own, we still have daily decisions to make concerning becoming holy. Give in to temptation or Just Say No. Every time we say no, and rebuke the devil for trying to lure us away from our goal of becoming holy, we are that much nearer to accomplishing a set apart lifestyle. 

Proverbs 20:9 asks us, 'Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?' The answer? No one. Jesus makes our heart clean. The Holy Spirit makes us pure. Leviticus 20:7 'Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.' We choose to be set apart, sanctified for God's purpose in our lives. 

Psalm 51:10 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.' A prayer each of us should be making every day of our lives. A request to be made clean and a request to be made right. 

Isaiah 55:7 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' This is revival. A revitalization of the soul, turning one's back on sin and turning one's face to the LORD. And God will have mercy on the one who does this. 

Proverbs 8:13 'The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward (twisting words, perverse, fraudulent) mouth, do I hate.' Isaiah 35:8 'And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it--only those who walk in the Way--and fools will not stray onto it.' This highway is designated to be built when King Jesus sets up His millennial reign, but the shadow of this Highway is the Way (John 14:6) in which the Christian to walk every day until we are called home or Christ returns to get His Bride, the Church who has faithfully followed The Word. 

Some folks have grown up singing an easy to remember song in Sunday School, O Be Careful Little Eyes, which was an action song by The Cedarmont Kids in 1995 that helped us to remember it, especially when we were the teachers.  Oh the trouble we could have saved ourselves if we had only remembered it before we chose to sin against God! 

O BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES 

O be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little eyes what you see

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little ears what you hear

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little tongue what you say

O be careful little tongue what you say

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little tongue what you say

O be careful little hands what you do

O be careful little hands what you do

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little hands what you do

O be careful little feet where you go

O be careful little feet where you go

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little feet where you go

O be careful little heart whom you trust

O be careful little heart whom you trust

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little heart whom you trust

O be careful little mind what you think

O be careful little mind what you think

For the Father up above

Is looking down in love

So, be careful little mind what you think

So, be careful little mind what you think

While you may think this is 'only a children's song', you are wrong. Once we give our hearts to God and begin to follow Christ, we are responsible every single day, all throughout our day, to make wise choices and be obedient to God's Word. Yes, we will fail and stumble, but we must repent of our wrong decision and seek to do what is right in God's eyes, not our own. 

When I .....

 

I don't live my life according to the stars. Nor do I seek what the future holds. (Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; Isaiah 8:19)

God is my life-giver, life-sustainer, new life in Christ through God's grace God. (Acts 17:28; Job 12:10; Psalm 36:9)

It is to God I go for direction. Whether we take the high road up in the mountains and hills, or whether we take the low road down in the valleys and waysides. I will follow Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. 

When I have questions, I go to God. And He answers me.(Matthew 7:7)

When I have fears, I trust in God. And He comforts me.

(Isaiah 41:10)

When I have doubts, I lean on God. And He upholds me with His right hand. (Psalm 18:35; Psalm 63:8)

When I am discouraged, He lifts me up. 

(Joshua 10:25; Ephesians 6:10)

When I am oppressed, I turn to Him for strength. And He fights for me. (Psalm 42:9-11; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 14:6)

When my soul agonizes in prayer, He meets me where I am.

(Psalm 88:9; Job 11:13-19; Psalm 24:6)

When my heart is overwhelmed, He covers me with His wings. 

(Psalm 91:3-5)

When I need God, and I ALWAYS need GOD, He is near: just a whisper away. (1 Kings 19:12)

When I cry out, He hears my voice. (Psalm 28:2; 62:8)

When I am silent before Him, God speaks. And I listen. 

(Psalm 46:10; Habakkuk 2:20; Isaiah 41:1)