Honouring God by how you live your life

(1 Timothy 6:1-2 – Honouring God by how you live your life)

You are a Christian. At least I presume so since you are on this site and reading this post. And if you are a Christian then it is important that you live like a Christian. You need to live so that you are honouring God by how you live your life.

As Christians we often talk about honouring God and the Lord Jesus Christ. But how do we do it? How are you honouring God by how you live your life?

It is a point worth considering and spending some time thinking about, especially because one of the main complaints non-Christians have against Christians is that they are hypocrites. Whether that is true or not, honouring God by how you live your life is the key to both honouring Him, AND receiving an honourable name from the people around you.

Slavery

Before continuing, let’s look at the scripture we are studying today as it has some interesting aspects.

1 Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brethren; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. (1 Timothy 6:1-2)

This scripture speaks about slaves and how they ought to regard their masters.

We don’t have much slavery these days, although it certainly still exists. It has been pretty much driven underground as it is not a common practice or legal in most countries.

But if we extrapolate this example to cover those who are our earthly masters in other ways, the principles still apply. Bosses, government, authorities, and so on hold positions of authority over people. They may not be “masters” in the sense of slavery, but they still hold sway over many aspects of our lives. So, for the sake of simplicity, in this post we will just collectively call them all “masters.”

Paul exhorts slaves in this verse to regard their masters as worthy of all honour. The masters were to be highly regarded and obeyed without argument or malice. It was required of slaves to obey their masters for the collective good of both parties.

And when a person does act and behave with honour, truthfulness, and with the best interests of their “masters” at heart, they are rewarded.

And I’m not just talking about receiving a wage. A good worker gets accolades and they make a name for themselves in an organisation, and they gain the respect of both the organisation structure and peers as well. They become trusted and they are sought ought for advice when situations get difficult.

Basically, they gain a good name for themselves, which is better than money in all circumstances.

How the Christian “Slave” Behaves

When that person is a Christian it is even more valuable. They receive honour from their employer or other earthly “masters,” and they also receive honour from God.

Their actions show their faith and they are examples of the faith and the Lord they serve. And people recognise that they can be trusted and they are doing right because they are not self-serving, but rather they are keen to serve God and their earthly masters. And at the same time you are honouring God by how you live your life.

So, how do you do this? The scripture provides good guidelines.

Any time we are doing anything for or with our earthly “masters” whoever they may be, we show respect. We respect their wishes, desires, goals, and so on, and we seek to help them achieve or receive those things.

We should also note in the scripture above that if our earthly “masters” are Christians also, then we should redouble our efforts to provide the best service we can. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ and deserve to be treated as such.

Respect is critical in all of our relationships. One of the things Christians understand is that respect is at the basis of many things we do.

The Ten Commandments and Respect

If you look closely at the Ten Commandments, you will see that they are based upon respect.

The Bible also shows us that they are based on God’s love, and His love is very action based with respect as a major part in the mix.

The Ten Commandments can be broadly classified into three groups. They are:

1. Respect for God in the first three commandments
2. Respect for your parents and yourself in the fourth commandment
3. And finally, respect for everyone else in the rest of the commandments

Honouring God by how you live your life could be summed up in two words: Love and Respect.

These two go hand in hand, and as we see in the Ten Commandments, they have been part of God’s plan and His will from the beginning.

Honouring God

Finally we must be respectful to those around us because by doing so honours God.

When we do what is right by others, especially our earthly “masters,” then people have no basis to disrespect the name of God or Christianity. If we do what is right, anything they might hold against us will be based upon lies and will not stand.

People cannot defame you or the faith if you are honouring God by how you live your life. When we do this we gain the favour of God and man. So do your best to behave in a manner that befits the name of Christian that you hold. You are representing God and the Lord Jesus Christ when you take His name.

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