Tag: God’s Love

Know Yourself!

On November 11, 2019

KNOW YOURSELF! BE YOURSELF! LOVE YOURSELF!

My personal motto or declaration is “Know yourself! Be yourself! Love yourself!” In other words, know who you are in God! Be who you are unapologetically! And love yourself wholeheartedly!

Why is it important to know who you are in God? He’s your Creator! And who knows you better than your creator? NO ONE! God created you in His image and in His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) and breathed His breath of life into you (Genesis 2:7). Therefore, only God is able to wake you up every morning. Contrary to what you might have believed in the past, your alarm clock, spouse, child, parent, dog, or even the garbage truck does not have the capability of waking you up! Rather, God is the one who causes you to open your eyes every day.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN GOD?

In order to know who you are in God, you have to know God Himself. How do you learn a person? You get to know someone by spending ample time with that individual. For instance, a husband and wife typically know each other better than anyone else because of the time that is spent with each other. They live together, make decisions together, raise a family together and do almost, if not, everything together!

Like human relationships, you must have a personal relationship with God. In the past, I have been asked about my religion. My reply is, “I don’t have a religion.” Understand that religion is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” Although Christianity can be classified as a religion, unlike other belief systems or religions, it involves relationship. In other words, Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship God has established with His children through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

HOW DO I KNOW GOD?

In order for me to know me, I must know God. In order to know God, I must form a relationship with God. In order to form a relationship with God, I must believe in the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their disobedience severed the personal connection they once had with God, which affected the rest of the human race. So, when Jesus was crucified on the cross, He served as a mediator between God and anyone who believes in Him. Romans 10:9-10 (New Living Translation) say:

“⁹If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

And that’s exactly what I did! I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior which brought me into a right relationship with God. Notice I said a RIGHT relationship because Jesus has made me righteous before God. We have to come to God His way, not our way. Jesus said in John 14:6 (NLT):

“…..I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

It has to be God’s way because He is God, the Creator, and He holds the world in the palms of His hands. Only God knows His purpose/plans for my life. God says in Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version):

“…..I know the plans I have for you…..plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

WHEN DOES GOD REVEAL HIS PLANS?

God reveals His plans to us little by little as we walk with Him. God never reveals all of His plans at once because we probably wouldn’t be able to handle it. Plus, it builds our faith. II Corinthians 5:7 says that we are to walk/live by faith and not by sight. We are not to live by what we see and understand. We are to live according to what we KNOW about God and the Word of God.

As I’ve come to know God more through my relationship with Him, I’ve come to know me more, as His daughter. What I now know about myself I didn’t always believe. For instance, I didn’t always believe I was beautiful, strong, courageous, talented, or worthy of love. Fortunately, I do now, and that’s because God has never given up on me. God continues to love me and encourage me.

God is doing the same for YOU which is why you are reading this article! So, I encourage you to get to know God and who you are in God, and your life will never be the same!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (New International Version) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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What Has God Given You?

By Kimberly Joy

On December 26, 2017

In Jesus

(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: What Has God Given You?)

WHAT HAS GOD GIVEN YOU?
First, God has given you what He has given all of us…..LIFE!
As I shared in the previous article “A Heart To Give,” God first formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and then suddenly man came alive! That man He named Adam. However, God didn’t stop there. When we read the first two chapters of Genesis, we see where God also gave Adam dominion over the earth and over all the animals. He was even given authority to name each animal. Although Adam had been granted much authority and was surrounded by various living creatures, God recognized that he was still alone. So later in the second chapter, God gave Adam the gift of a help meet who was just right for him. In other words, God gave Adam his wife whom He named Eve.

II Corinthians 9:7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. Basically, when we give we should do so freely and willingly because that’s how God gives to us. God loves blessing His children! Again, consider Adam and Eve. God hooked them up! They were given power and lived as little gods here on earth. Unfortunately, they did what many people do by taking God’s gifts for granted. Instead of appreciating all the blessings God had given them, they allowed the serpent, who was being used by Satan, to convince them that God was somehow cheating or depriving them. Even though they had an abundance of trees and fruits to enjoy, they believed the lie that they still needed to eat from the one tree God told them to leave alone, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Consequently, they forfeited their gifts. For instance, they no longer had authority over the earth and over all living creatures. They no longer had the luxury of living forever. Moreover, they lost the closeness they had with God.

According to Genesis 3:8-10, after Adam and Eve messed up, they tried to hide from God. Because of their disobedience, they were too ashamed to face Him. They weren’t comfortable with the thought of approaching Him. Their relationship with God was now different, and their lives were never going to be the same. Isaiah 59:2 lets us know that sin separates an individual from God because God is holy. In other words, sin is the direct opposite of who God is! Although their choice to disobey God caused the rest of mankind to be born into sin, because God is loving, merciful, kind and gracious, He devised another plan.

WHAT IS GOD’S MOST IMPORTANT GIFT?
Of all the blessings or gifts God has given us, what is the most important gift? John 3:16, which is one of the most popular and significant scriptures in the Bible, answers that question. It says:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (King James Version).

Because God has always loved us (the human race), He gave us His only begotten Son or His one and only Son Jesus so we would have a chance at eternal life. Therefore, those of us who have accepted God’s gift of salvation have Heaven to look forward to.

As a parent, can you imagine offering your only son or your only child in order to save the lives of everyone else? And the people you desire to save don’t even appreciate you? Can you imagine that? Well, God gave the gift of His Son for people who were and still are liars, cheaters, thieves, murderers, adulterers, fornicators and idol worshipers. He offered this precious gift to people who don’t even honor Him. I think about the times throughout the Old Testament when God’s people, those He called His chosen people, would turn their backs on Him. Nevertheless, He was still willing to stick to His plan and send His ONLY Son. In fact, throughout the Old Testament there are various prophecies about the coming Messiah or the Anointed One who is none other than Jesus. This is what the prophet Isaiah said about Him in Isaiah 7:14 (KJV):

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us.’).”

This prophecy indeed came to past. In the first chapter of the book of Luke, the angel Gabriel visited Mary, who was still a virgin at the time, and informed her that she would conceive and give birth to a son. However, this child would not come from the seed of a man, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Then in chapter two, she gave birth to Jesus. So, again God willingly and freely gave His Son Jesus so that we each would have the opportunity to be set free from our sins, to be reconnected with God Himself, and to gain eternal life!

HAVE YOU RECEIVED GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION?
Have you received God’s gift of salvation? If not, I encourage you to do so! When you do, you will be given a new life…..a life in God!
And there’s nothing like it because God has many more gifts to give you! For example, God offers His gift of love which holds you, protects you and assures you that you’re not alone.

He also offers His gift of peace which brings you a calmness that the average person can’t fathom. God even has His gift of joy which causes you to smile when nothing special has happened and makes you laugh when no one has told a joke.

If you have already received God’s gift of salvation, then I encourage you to continue honoring God for who He is by living a life that pleases Him. Then in DUE TIME, He will give you every blessing or gift He has in store for you!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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A Very Precious Gift

By Kimberly Joy

On December 25, 2017

In Jesus

(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: A Very Precious Gift)

WE GIVE OUR LIVES FOR A VERY PRECIOUS GIFT

To give is to FREELY hand something over to someone. In other words, we don’t give because we feel pressured to give. We give because we want to give. Moreover, God wants us to freely and willingly give our lives to Him. Romans 12:1 (King James Version) says:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

WHY DOES GOD REQUIRE THAT WE GIVE HIM OUR LIVES?
According to Romans 5:12, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, it opened the door for sin to run rampant. Therefore, every single human being is born into sin. In fact, David said in Psalms 51:5 (New Living Translation):

“For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”

What is sin? Sin is rebellion against God. So, we’re all born with a nature to disobey God. Nevertheless, we don’t have to stay that way. We don’t have to remain in sin. We don’t have to die in our sins and suffer for eternity in hell. Instead, we can be forgiven and set free, IF we are willing to give our lives to God. I say “willing” because God doesn’t force us to live for Him.

God proves His love for us. He extends the invitation to receive His love. He even sends us warnings, if we need them. However, He never makes us do something we’re not willing to do. As a matter of fact, Adam and Eve fell because God didn’t create them to be robots. He didn’t use a remote to control their every move.

“Go here! Go there! Now sit down! Now stand up!” Instead, God gave them a free will, which meant they had a choice to obey Him or not. Even though God gave them love, riches, dominion over the earth, and eternal life, unfortunately, they willingly decided to listen to someone else and go against God’s expectations.

I recently heard someone describe God as a gentleman. That He is! A gentleman is polite, courteous, honorable, and respectful. Therefore, wouldn’t you want to give your life to such a GENTLE-man? Wouldn’t you want to give your life to the One who created you and gives you life every day? Yes, every day! You woke up this morning because of GOD! Acts 17:28 (KJV) says:

“…..In [God] we live, and move, and have our being.”

Wouldn’t you want to give your life to the One who loves you more than anyone ever could? God loves us all so very much, that He gave us a very precious gift–His Son Jesus. John 3:16 is one of the first Bible verses I believe many Christians learn. It was one of the first ones I learned! Why? That particular verse contains the message every believer should share and every person should know. GOD LOVES THE WORLD! He loves every human being! Because of His love for us, He gave His one and only Son Jesus as a living sacrifice to die in our place in order for us to gain the eternal life which was originally granted to the first man and woman. Now, isn’t that amazing?! Although their disobedience corrupted mankind, God had another plan!

HOW DID JESUS GIVE?
God’s plan for us wouldn’t have been fulfilled if Jesus hadn’t freely and willingly given His life.

In addition to giving His life when He was crucified on the cross, Jesus gave His life in many ways leading up to the cross. Philippians 2:6-7 (NLT) say:

“6 Though He was God,
He did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, He gave up His divine privileges;
He took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.”

Jesus did that for us! He gave up His nice, comfortable position in Heaven in order to live like a mere human being! Although He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin, He still grew and lived as a man here on earth. While He lived as a man, Jesus gave so much of Himself. The four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are filled with examples of Jesus’ love.

Jesus gave His time to those who wanted to sit and listen to His teachings, like Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha (Luke 10). When she sat at Jesus’s feet, He didn’t ignore her or turn her away. Rather, He taught her.

Jesus gave food to over 5,000 people who were hungry (Matthew 14).

Jesus gave wine to guests at a wedding party (John 2).

Jesus gave love and attention to a group of children (Matthew 19).

Jesus gave compassion and forgiveness to people like the Samaritan woman who had had several husbands (John 4) and like the woman who was openly humiliated for committing adultery (John 8).

Jesus gave healing to many who were blind, deaf, crippled, paralyzed, and sick.

To some who were dead, Jesus gave them a second chance at life.

Jesus gave deliverance to those who were being tormented by evil spirits.

Most importantly, JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE! As the book of Isaiah states, like a lamb, Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross. Gospel artist Kirk Franklin and The Family used to sing:

“Now behold the Lamb
The precious Lamb of God
Born into sin that I may live again
The precious Lamb of God.”

Because Jesus gave His life on our behalf, we should be motivated to give our lives to Him. I’m not just referring to the moment we accept Him into our hearts. That’s only the beginning! But every day, we should give our lives. So I encourage you, starting right now, daily live your life as a gift to the Lord. He’s worthy of it!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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Experience Rest in God

By Kimberly Joy

On August 8, 2017

In Faith

(The Kimberly Joy Show: God Says, “Rest in Me and Enjoy Your Life”)

HOW DO WE EXPERIENCE REST IN GOD?
In order to rest in God, we have to have total faith in Him. When we choose to believe God above everything and everyone else, we experience rest. Philippians 4:7 says we experience a peace that is beyond human comprehension. It’s something that can’t be explained. For example, you may be going through something really difficult, yet you appear to be very calm. As a result, those around you, who don’t know about resting in God, think something is seriously wrong with you! Due to your current situation, they expect you to be upset, angry or depressed. Because you’re not, they assume you’re in denial about your situation. But, you’re not in denial! You’ve just chosen to put all your faith in God!

Personally speaking, I know resting in God is not always easy. Just because I have been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean I will automatically handle every situation, good or bad, as God would expect. I have to work at it every day! Why? I’m still in this flesh. I’m not perfect. However, I do serve a perfect God, and I have to make a decision to pursue the perfect God every day!

God has provided us with His Word to show us what to do, how to behave, how to think and what to avoid. God doesn’t just TELL us to rest in Him, but He shows us how. Throughout the Bible are examples we can emulate. In my article “Resting in God,” I shared the story of Paul and Silas when they were in jail (Acts 16). While they were in jail, they worshipped God! They could have gotten mad or been depressed. Perhaps they were experiencing some of those emotions. However, instead of yielding to those negative emotions, they pursued God’s peace. They chose to still believe God. Consequently, they were set free from jail because of their faith. James 2:26 (King James Version) says:

“…..faith without works is dead…..”

Paul and Silas didn’t just claim to have faith in God, but they proved it by praying instead of complaining and by singing praises to God instead of worrying or crying. They did this all while locked in chains behind a prison wall.

Another individual from the Bible, who demonstrated how to rest in God, was King David. Anyone who is familiar with David’s story knows he made some serious mistakes during his life. Nevertheless, even when he fell down, he found rest in God through his repentance. In Psalms 51:10-12 (KJV), David prayed to God:

“10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.”

King David prayed this particular prayer after God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him about a sinful act he had tried to cover up
(II Samuel 12). Although God could have easily struck David down for his wickedness, He chose not to. Instead, He extended His love, mercy, and grace to David. Recognizing that God was giving him another chance, David repented—–he SINCERELY repented.

WHO IS CONDEMNING YOU?
Like David, you may have done something you’re not proud of or once lived a life you wish you could forget. Even though you have asked God to forgive you, you still feel guilty. Why do you feel guilty? Is God condemning you? NO!!! The eighth chapter of Romans lets us know that those of us who belong to Christ Jesus are no longer condemned. We have been set free!

So, if you still feel guilty, even after you have sincerely repented, perhaps it’s because those around you like to remind you of your past or because you haven’t forgiven yourself.

Either way, Satan is behind it! But, he’s a LIAR! God doesn’t want you holding onto that guilt. He wants you to let it go and rest in Him. Trust in His power of forgiveness and salvation.

While you may have to suffer some consequences for your past wrongdoing, it still doesn’t mean God hasn’t forgiven you and changed you on the inside. For instance, if you have sex with someone to whom you’re not married, you may wind up with an unwanted pregnancy or with an STD. If that’s the case, it’s not a sign that God hasn’t forgiven you. It’s a sign that you’re reaping what you sowed. However, as you move forward in God and strive to live holy, He can bless that baby in a special way or completely heal your body.

Recently, a young lady contacted me requesting prayer. She admitted to doing something she knew was wrong and was feeling bad about it. I assured her I would pray for her. I then encouraged her to not beat herself up and reminded her of God’s love and forgiveness. I also explained to her that her feeling of guilt was a good sign. Why? It proves she has a conscience and that she is still God’s daughter. Finally, I encouraged her to avoid going down that road again.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CONTENT?
I’ve shared before that you can find rest in God through worship, prayer, and obedience. You can also find rest in God by simply enjoying your life. Bible teacher and author Joyce Meyer says, “Learn how to enjoy where you are on the way to where you’re going.” In other words, smile often and laugh as much as possible. Just enjoy the stage at which you are in your life. You may not be where you want to be or have certain things you would like right now. Nonetheless, that’s no reason to be down in the dumps. Trust me, someone somewhere wishes he or she had YOUR life. Paul says in Philippians 4:11:

“…I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”

To be content with where you currently are in life doesn’t mean you shouldn’t desire more because God has more for you. It just means your desires shouldn’t cause you anxiety and stress. Your desires shouldn’t be more important than you being grateful and giving God the glory. God doesn’t want to hear our murmuring and complaining. Rather, He wants to hear our praise and see our smiling faces. He wants us to extend a helping hand to someone in need. When we focus on the Lord and do what pleases Him, Psalms 37:4 says He is guaranteed to give us what we desire.

Resting in God takes away the pressure Satan and the world try to place on us. When we give everything to God, He gives us His peace, and then things can be done His way….the RIGHT way. So, make it a point every day to rest in God and gratefully enjoy this life He has so graciously given you!

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I Love YOU!

By Kimberly Joy

On October 3, 2016

In Love

I love you! Yes….YOU! I don’t have to know you personally to love you, for God has placed a love inside my heart for His children. And you are His child! Whether you acknowledge Him or not, whether you serve Him or not, you are His. After all, He created you in His image and likeness. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”

With everything that is going on in today’s world, I must remind myself daily to LOVE. “And you must love the Lord your God with all with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these,” (Mark 12:30-31). I admit that it’s not always easy loving those who may abuse and hate you, but God commands it. The old adage says, “Love conquers all!” Not hate! Why would the originator of this quote make such a bold statement that LOVE conquers? It’s very simple. GOD is LOVE! I John 4:7-8 declares, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

Personally speaking, I can’t see where possessing hatred ever made a person’s life better. In fact, holding a grudge against another individual only made me miserable. The mere mention of his or her name caused me to cringe. Now, as a child of God, that should not be. I am to be an example of love, not hate. John 13:34-35 states, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.”

How can I witness to people about Jesus, while picking and choosing whom I’m going to love? I must love everyone. I’m not at all suggesting that to love everyone means to endure abuse! For instance, if a woman is being physically or even verbally abused by her husband, then, by all means, she should remove herself from that toxic situation. Again, the scripture says that we’re to love our neighbors as ourselves, which indicates that we MUST love ourselves also. So a woman, who chooses to love herself by creating distance from her abusive husband, can still love him from afar by praying for him and hoping the best for his life.

This current Presidential election and the increase of unarmed black boys and men being fatally shot by law enforcement have made it apparent that racism is still very much alive in this country. Unfortunately, hate begets hate! So if I’m not careful, as a black woman who loves and honors the black men in her life, I will find myself hating those who hate me simply because of skin color. Nevertheless, my relationship with God has taught me to love, in spite of the negativity thrown my way. Let me give an example. Several years ago I was emotionally hurt by a friend, and it left me very angry. Although I understood that as a Christian I wasn’t supposed to harbor any negative feelings, I yet found myself resenting this individual. I hated the way the negative emotions affected me and knew I needed to be set free through forgiveness. I’ll be the first to admit that forgiveness didn’t come overnight because the resentment didn’t build up in one day. So, I had to continually ask God to cleanse my heart and renew my mind. In addition, every night before going to sleep I read I Corinthians 13 aloud to myself, focusing on verses 4-7, and made it personal by replacing the word “love” with “I”.

“[I am] patient. [I am] kind. [I do] not envy. [I do] not boast. [I am] not proud. [I do] not dishonor others. [I am] not self-seeking. [I am] not easily angered. [I keep] no record of wrongs. [I do] not delight in evil, but [I rejoice] with the truth. [I] always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere.”

Speaking and hearing God’s Word uprooted the unforgiveness that had taken residence in my heart. However, I would not have been set free if I hadn’t accepted God’s truth over my own.

Each day I leave my home and encounter various people throughout the day, I am well aware that some may despise me because I don’t look like they do. Nevertheless, I choose not to entertain such thoughts! It doesn’t matter if they hate me or not because I am STILL commanded to love. In fact, I am now built to love through God’s love. So regardless of who you are, I declare today that I LOVE YOU!

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Do You Honor the King?

By Kimberly Joy

On September 6, 2016

In Faith

Do you honor the King? Which King, you ask? The King that the psalmist recognizes when he says, “For God is the King of all the earth…” (Psalms 47:7). If “yes” is your response, how do you show God honor? Do you have a checklist?

* Pray before each meal
* Attend church every Easter
* Sing in the church choir
* Volunteer at church
* Attend Bible study
* Send children to Sunday school

Pretty good list, you think? So, is that all that is required to honor the King? Is saying your prayers before going to bed sufficient?

“Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

Is that suitable? Or is it enough to just reverence Him on Sundays? Is that all that is needed to honor the Creator?

Personally speaking, although the “checklist” is noble, simply abiding by a set of rules doesn’t signify that we honor God.

Honoring God comes from the heart. When we truly honor God, we do so with sincerity. We’re not doing it for accolades or to prove how holy we are. Rather, we honor God because we love Him. Mark 12:30 says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” We don’t need anyone to acknowledge that we’re such “great Christians” as long as we know we’re pleasing God.

We honor God because He honors us. God honors us with a LOVE that will never fade. Romans 8:38-39 says, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No matter what, God loves us. When we don’t deserve it, He is willing to extend His grace and mercy, giving us time to get it right. Just look at David who impregnated a married woman and later had her husband killed (II Samuel 11). Or, consider the story of the apostle Paul who once persecuted those who professed Jesus Christ (Acts 8 & 9). Despite their past transgressions, they were still forgiven and raised up to be mighty men of God.

We honor God when we honor Jesus as His Son. In order to honor God, we must also acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I John 4:15 also states, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” There are people who only want to honor God, while reducing Jesus to the level of men in the Bible, like Moses and Elijah. Although they were great men whom God used mightily, neither one held the position of God’s “only begotten Son”. As God’s Son, Jesus was the only one who could redeem us from our sins. Paul says in I Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Moreover, John 5:23 tells us that God expects “that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent Him.”

We honor God when we obey Him and stay away from sin. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” God wants us to live free from sin because it only leads to eternal death. Instead, He wants us to enjoy life in Him. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 6:23). Once we confess and turn away from our sins, God is guaranteed to forgive us (I John 1:9). We are then made brand new. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,” (II Corinthians 5:17).

We honor God by developing and maintaining a relationship with Him. Jesus says in John 15:15, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” God doesn’t beat us over the heads like slaves, but He loves us unconditionally. All He asks is that we do the same! In other words, see Him as your BEST friend! See Him as the one with whom you share all your secrets because you know He won’t run and tell! Let Him be your shoulder to cry on, for He knows just how to comfort you. Shower Him with gifts of praise and worship, and be selfless of your time and money in order to help others. Brag often about His AWESOMENESS! Defend Him when naysayers want to disrespect Him. Listen to Him and obey when He speaks to you through His Word and in times of prayer. He has great plans for your life and knows what’s best for you!

By honoring God we bring honor to ourselves. God says He will honor those who honor Him (I Samuel 2:30). In other words, we will be blessed! Jesus promises in John 15:7, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” He also emphasizes in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Furthermore, because we honor God with our hearts, we can look forward to seeing Him. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”, (Matthew 5:8).

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