Twelve ways I think we all dishonour God on a regular basis

But you did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.  Daniel 5:24

Daniel here is speaking to King Belshazzar who desecrated the silver and gold goblets from the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.

I just want us to spend a few moments considering this verse in the context of our own lives. Christians are often great at coming up with ways in which other people dishonour God. Christians are unfortunately great at pointing the finger. Christians have been known for shouting long and hard about these issues, these behaviours that they believe dishonour God – women priests, same sex marriage, abortion for example. As individuals, this list may be more detailed eg. smoking, swearing, wearing a short skirt, buying a lottery ticket, drinking, reading erotic fiction…..As my house group leader often points out, we each have a line that we believe should not be crossed and that line appears different for each one of us. Which makes having any kind of standard hard. It appears this whole area is not black and white. God convicts each one of us of different areas of our life that need his transforming touch.

But anyway, on this day and in this place, I thought I would share with you my reflections on ways in which I and the people around me are in danger of dishonouring God.

• God created this beautiful world in which we live – if we do not care for it (and take climate change seriously), then we dishonour God.
• God created each one of us in his image – if we do not care for our bodies, minds and souls, then we dishonour God.
• God created every human being who has ever lived – if we do not treat others (near and far) with respect and love, then we dishonour God.
• God created every living thing – if we do not treat all animals well (which brings in not just what we eat, but our toiletries, washing powders, housing estates etc), then we dishonour God.
• God is love. If we do not love others as God loves, then we dishonour God.
• God is a jealous God. He has to be number one. If there is anything or anyone in our lives more important to us than God, then we dishonour God. If there is anything or anyone else other than God that we could not live without, then we dishonour God.
• God provides. If we are anxious, it is because we’re not trusting God completely to provide exactly what we need. If we are anxious, we dishonour God.
• God has a role for each one of us. If we do not do our job or carry out our role faithfully and diligently, then we dishonour God.
• God has given each one of us gifts and resources. If we do not use our gifts and resources for good and in service to others, then we dishonour God. If we do not give our best, then we dishonour God.
• God wants to know us and be known. If we do not take every opportunity we have to know God more, then we dishonour God. If we do not open our eyes to God at work in the world around us, then we dishonour God.
• God has given us so many resources to support our faith. If we go through the motions when we read the Bible or pray or sing spiritual songs (on our own or in our services), then we dishonour God.
• Everything we have comes from God. If we fail to remember that and take credit for what we’ve achieved ourselves, then we dishonour God. If we fail to thank God daily for his blessings and take all that we have for granted, then we dishonour God.

OK, that’s about it, I think. Hopefully some food for thought there. Allow God to show you today areas in which you are in danger of dishonouring Him.

Our God is the one true God. He deserves all the honour and praise.