Proverbs 3:9-10 says; Honor the Lord with your possession and the first fruits of all your increase, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Honor.
The word honor or kabod is defined as; to revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to. To reverence; to manifest the highest veneration for, in words and actions; to entertain the most exalted thoughts of; to worship; to adore.
My Bible dictionary defines it as respect, giving worth and honor to someone. It is not a about being forced to submit to an authority stronger than us. It begins with an attitude of gentleness and reverence from our own obedient and honoring heart.
As I continued my search, I found the Baker Bible Dictionary says; the root of kabod literally means heavy or weighty.
To honor someone, then, is to give weight or to grant a person a position of respect and even authority in one’s life. Honor is an internal attitude of respect, courtesy, and reverence. Yet, it should be accompanied by appropriate attention or even obedience.
Honor without corresponding action is incomplete.
Before plenty, must come honor. Before honor, humility must come. When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and do things His way instead of our way, we are honoring God. As we honor God with our life and with our increase His plenty will be released into our life.
Proverbs 15:33 says; before honor is humility.
Luke 14:11 says; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Proverbs 22:4 says; the reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.
I believe we will see that plenty, but first we must begin to cultivate a life of humility. As we begin to live a life of humility before God, our heart will desire to honor God and our actions will follow that desire. As we honor God, His plenty will invade our life, we have His word on it.
When the plenty comes, humility becomes even more important. When honor comes, humility will become even more vital.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less often.
My grandson, Bryson, was playing a game on his computer over the weekend. He yelled for me to come look at something. As I looked down at his computer, he said, “you know how you say the world doesn’t revolve around me, well, look it does!”
On his game there was this little world going around and around him.
While it was meant to be funny, it is how many people feel. That the world must revolve around them. They must be the most important thing around.
The Bible says to prefer others before you. To humble yourself and put others needs before yours. When we do this, God will take care of ours.
Over the past couple years, I have purposed in my heart to cultivate true humility in my life.
A person who walks in humility is teachable. He or she, can receive correction without offense. A humble person will learn from the least, even from a child. I can’t tell you how many times God has corrected me using one of my grandchildren.
Humility doesn’t always speak up. It often keeps silent and allows God to dictate when and what we say. Even if you feel you are right and the other person is wrong. Humility will humble itself to God and His word and wait.
That’s one truth I have learned through this walk of humility. Things I would have once said quickly, I now stop and think about. I am silent much more often. When I do speak, it is with Gods words in my mouth, and nothing more.
1 Peter 5 says; humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, so that He will lift you up in His own time.
The Bible is filled with warnings for those who refuse to be humble, and it is filled with promises for those who choose to live a life of humility before God.
Cultivate a life of humility. As you do, honor and plenty will be the fruit of that humble heart.
Meditate on this:
In humility, value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3
