byHonour is something that everyone likes. Why do I say that? People naturally want to be seen and recognised wherever they are. Several companies recognise this, which is why they’ve developed structured reward systems to compensate and treat their employees well. God also honours people, but only after they have done certain things pertaining to kingdom impact. As a believer, you may want this, and maybe that’s why you are reading this article. Well, let’s dive deeper into this matter by looking at what Jesus said in John 12:26 (NKJV).
[26] “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
Serve the Lord
If you take a critical look at what Jesus said, you’ll realise that service in God’s kingdom is directly linked to divine honour. No service, no honour. And that’s fair enough. Why? Because there are some Christians who go to church, but don’t serve in the church. Moreover, they also refuse to engage in any ministry-related activities in their lives. So, God, being a wise God, linked service to honour. However, kingdom service isn’t done in just any way. There are principles behind it, and I’ll talk about two of them.
1. Follow Jesus
In the same John 12:26, before Jesus said, “… If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor”, He initially said, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me”. Think about this! You need to follow Jesus ardently if you want to serve Him, and that’s not a joke. You see, Jesus’ goal behind every kingdom service is to help Him fulfil His mission of filling the whole universe (see Ephesians 4:10). Therefore, things can be best accomplished through His leadership, guided by the Holy Spirit in the believer, rather than by the believer himself. If you want to serve God, love Jesus and do what He tells you, not just anything that comes to your mind.
When you encounter a problem, please speak to the right people to handle it, and avoid gossiping about it to others. Such an act doesn’t solve problems and only spreads bitterness from your heart to affect even innocent ones.
2. Serve the Lord with gladness.
Another essential thing to cultivate in your service to the Lord is how joyful you are in serving Him. Some serve, but grumble behind the scenes. Yes, I get it that in some ministries, people’s welfare is not well looked into. Also, some ministries have poor organisational structures, making it hard for even committed members to serve joyfully. As such, people complain and do things without any joy in their hearts.
But the truth is, there is no perfect ministry on this Earth, no matter how big or small it may be. There are problems now, and many more will arise in the future. So, if you don’t psyche your mind for this, you’ll overreact when issues arise. Psalm 100:2 tells us to serve the Lord with gladness. And in Philippians 2:14, the Bible tells us to do everything without complaining.
Let me tell you something. If you’re an associate in a ministry, remember that the founder or head doesn’t see things the way you see them. When you encounter a problem, please speak to the right people to handle it, and avoid gossiping about it to others. Such an act doesn’t solve problems and only spreads bitterness from your heart to affect even innocent ones.
Be humble under God’s mighty feet.
Lastly, I want you to know that God lifts the humble. He is still in the business of turning nobodies into somebodies. No matter how bad your beginning is, keep serving Him. His honour on your life will keep increasing, and He will keep rewarding you even for your secret labours. I hope this article has given you insights about what to do to obtain honour before God. Go and practise this.
You’re a blessing!
