Honour God – Being a Pilgrim

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”
Psalm 23:1-4 NLT

David has packed much into these first few verses of Psalm 23. Meadows and streams where strength is renewed and guidance provided for a spiritual walk along the “right paths”. David lived in a society where it was assumed that God was real and everyone believed in Him. Of course that is not to say that sin didn’t exist. Quite the opposite, as we find when we read the historical accounts of the Israelites. Take for example what happened just after Joshua died. Judges 2:11-12, “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord“. But if those idol worshipers had thought about their relationship with God, the Lord who brought them out of slavery in Egypt to the land that He had prepared for them, then they would have realised that they were not bringing honour to His name. But at this point in their lives they probably didn’t care. After all, they would have said, “everyone is doing it”, an age-old justification for bad, sinful, and Godless behaviour.

“Bringing honour” to something or someone is considered important even today. An opposite to “bringing honour” would be bringing into disrepute, something that can be a dismissible offence in many companies and organisations. For example, one HR consultancy website reports, “Bringing a company into disrepute refers to actions or behaviour by an employee, contractor or representative that negatively impacts the organisation’s reputation. It can include conduct both inside and outside the workplace that creates public criticism, loss of trust or damage to the company’s standing with stakeholders, customers, or the public. In such situations, the employee can be said to be bringing the company into disrepute, which may give the employer legal cause to take disciplinary action“. If an secular organisation looks so negatively at a member who is failing to bring them honour, and doing them reputational harm, how much more will God look on if His children behave in the same way, bringing His name and Kingdom into disrepute? Some Christians like to attach a bumper sticker to their cars, such as “Jesus Saves” or a fish symbol, signifying their relationship with God. But if they then are caught exceeding the speed limit is that not bringing their faith into disrepute? And even if they are not caught, what does that say about them to the society in which they live? A common argument put forward by people who refuse to go to church, is that such buildings are full of hypocrites, people who behave in one way within the walls, but in another way outside. A churchgoer who acts piously in a meeting but who swears and verbally abuses the referee from the terraces at a football match is bringing God’s name into disrepute.

Whether we feel like it or not, we pilgrims are people who must bring honour to God. After all He is our Father and we are His children, and people around us will be watching us because the only glimpse most of them will get of God is through us.

So, moving away from the opposite of “bringing honour” to God, how do we bring honour to Him and His name?

Firstly, we must realise that it is not just the outward manifestation of honour that we should be concerned about. It is also about what is going on inside of us. Isaiah 29:13, “And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote“. The people Isaiah describes are not bringing honour to God. When Samuel was in the home of Jesse, acting on God’s instructions to select the future King from his sons, he heard God say to him, “ … Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Secondly, we bring honour to God in our homes. How are we husbands treating our wives, and vice versa? How are we treating our parents, or our children? Jesus repeated what Moses had decreed, “For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honour your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death’” (Mark 7:10). Paul wrote, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Through our righteous relationships within our families we bring honour to God and His name, and the attitudes we foster in our homes will spill over into our workplaces and anywhere else where we meet people.

Thirdly, we bring honour to God and His name by our relationship with Him. What is going on in our hearts? As Isaiah wrote, are we only following man-made rules, deluding ourselves that this constitutes a relationship with God? When He was asked what the greatest commandment was, “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). There is no half-hearted way of “bringing honour” to God. It is a whole-life commitment. A question we must regularly ask ourselves is about what we are doing, or watching on TV, or anything else. Is God getting honour out of this or am I behaving like a wayward child, dishonouring my Father?

Thankfully, God is “slow to anger and quick to forgive”. He knows the pressures of living in a secular society. After all, His Son Jesus did just that, but He never sinned. Doing things the world’s way is not the only way, because Jesus is the Way and all who follow Him “with all [their] hearts” will bring honour to His name.

Dear Father God. Our gratitude to You is never enough. You deserve so much more, for to You is all the praise and glory. Amen.

“In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honour the Son, just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son is certainly not honouring the Father who sent him.”
John 5:22-23 NLT

Do we honour God? Not just our Heavenly Father, but His Son Jesus as well? These are relevant questions in today’s cynical and sceptical societies. For most people, God and Jesus are considered irrelevant and just a part of history. In our “enlightened” days they consider themselves too sophisticated to believe in anything, that they classify as supernatural or superstitious. But Jesus was clear in His discourse with the Jewish leaders following the episode with the man healed at the Pool. He was saying that one day everyone will honour Him, the Son of God, just as they honour His Father, God Himself. And Jesus spelt it out for the Jewish leaders. He told them that as the Son of God, with the absolute authority to judge, he should be honoured. But if He wasn’t then they were guilty of not honouring the Father also. Isaiah prophesied about those who declared their honour of God but failed to believe it in their hearts. “And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote”” (Isaiah 29:13).

The UK publishes occasional Lists of Honours, for people who have done something outstanding for the people in their communities. So to the list might be added a surgeon, who has dedicated his life to fixing people in a third world country. Or a politician who has selflessly served his constituents. We might find a charity fund raiser or actress who is a patron of a mental health charity, a policeman or a foster parent. People are honoured because we value the contribution they have made to society. So how much more should we honour God because of all that He has done for mankind? There really is no comparison with the UK Honours List.

Sadly, many people in our societies fail to honour God. One phrase that falls far short of honouring God is referring to Him as “the old man upstairs”. Even we Christians fall down on this one, becoming so familiar with God that He becomes to us God All-matey, rather than God Almighty. We fail to treat Him with the honour, awe and respect that he deserves. Forgive us, God, for the way we treat You, we pray.

The Bible tells us who we should honour apart from God. Of great significance is our parents. Deuteronomy 5:16, “Honour your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.“ Sadly, we see many occasions when this commandment is abused or forgotten. We should also honour those who lead our churches and fellowships. 1 Timothy 5:17, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the word and doctrine“.

We pilgrims need to be very clear about honouring God. Jesus considered it important enough to include the words “hallowed be thy name” in the prayer He taught His disciples. We honour God by keeping our lives pure. By treating others with respect. When the world around us tells us to “get your own back”, we turn the other cheek, in honour of the person who has wronged us, and Jesus who taught us what we should do. As Christians we are salt and light in our communities, beacons of hope, and showing those around us examples of the way we should treat God and others.

Dear Father God. Please forgive us for the way we fail to bow our knees in reverent worship to You the awesome and holy God whom we serve. And we pray too for those around us, that they too will come to worship You, giving You Your rightful place in our societies, in our churches and in our families. In Jesus’ name. Amen.