Honour Him with a Grateful Heart
ICS Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV) Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
As believers, we have a new position since Jesus has finished His work of atonement. We are God’s special people who belong to the Kingdom of Light; we are the temple of God; we are the royal priesthood that worships Him through our praise, worship, and free will offerings.
The Bible teaches us the different ways to honour God:
• love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37-38)
• be obedient to what He asked us to do (John 14:15)
• praise and worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24)
• serve Him with our gifts and talents (1 Peter 4:10)
• share the gospel faithfully; His last command should be our first concern (Matthew 28:18-20)
Last but not least, we are called to honour God with our tithes and freewill offerings, out of love and obedience. We are blessed to have received the revelation of who Jesus is and to know what He has accomplished for us through His atoning work. Having chosen to accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, our hearts overflow with gratitude. Because of all that Christ has done, we desire to honour Him by offering our very best.
Our giving is an expression of worship—an act that acknowledges His worth, His sacrifice, and His lordship. When we worship God, we seek to respond as He has instructed us in His Word.
We are stewards of God’s resources, which He entrusted us with, and we are to use them in ways that honour Him. We bring our tithe to the Lord so that the work of the ministry can continue and the gospel can be proclaimed. When we worship God, we want our offering to be meaningful.
Our worship begins with the tithe, because that is what God has asked of us, and as He enables us, we can give beyond the tithe as an overflow of gratitude.
Reflection: Is your giving motivated by gratitude or obligation? What attitudes or fears might be hindering you from giving freely and joyfully?
Sermon Series: Worshipping the King of kings
