A life that honors God

As a young girl, I decided I wanted to live a life that honored God. I discovered, thankfully, that my relationship with my creator mattered more to me than anything else. When I looked back on the times I was happiest, they were times I felt my life and my relationship with God was in sync. This made me wonder, how do I keep this relationship in sync for the rest of my life? My answer, live a life that honors God. 

 

No one goes to a person who dishonors them, not even God. So how do I honor God with my life? That was my next question and my answer, pay attention to what you say. Living a life that honors God simply starts with the tongue. Of all the other parts of the body, this is the one that reflects the soul. It’s the mirror that shows who you truly are inside. 

 

Read through James 1: 26; “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” Your religion, which is your relationship with God, can be seen through words. Your words can push others away from God or pull others to God. 

 

So how do I ensure my words honor God, you may ask? Solomon answers nicely in Proverbs 17: 27-28, “It makes a lot of sense to be a person of few words and to stay calm.” Keeping quiet is the key to honoring God and it's more of a skill than it is nature. Give or take, some people are naturally quiet while others are not. The truth is that being quiet is not the way to honor God, controlling what you say is. 

 

Oftentimes I have been angry at myself because of something I said when I was angry. When you speak in anger, your words are bound to be harsh and hurtful. Your words expose what’s truly in your heart. When afraid, you speak timidly. When jealous, you tend to speak maliciously. If you listen to yourself and what’s coming out of your mouth, you’ll know what’s truly in your heart.

 

To live a life that honors God, we need to watch the words that ooze out of our lips. As we do, we notice the true emotions hidden in our hearts and can address them. Think of it as doing a root-cause analysis to unearth what’s going on in your heart. Something like; ‘I yelled because I am angry. I am angry because…’ So, you can identify and address the root of the matter. 

 

Instead of letting your words go out of control, once you hear yourself and you don’t like what you are hearing, stop talking and address what’s in your heart. By acknowledging the unpleasant emotions in our hearts, we can control our reactions to them. Our words will start to flow with love and our lives in turn honors God. 

 

Take a stock today. Listen to the words that come out of your mouth. Pay attention to the emotions that trigger those words. Address the cause of those emotions and bring it all to align with the word of God. Our words and actions should be out of love. And as we direct our lives through God’s love lenses, we will start to find our whole life being aligned to God’s purpose and live in honor of God. Your words must be true. Your words must be graceful. Your words must be honest. Keep silent, stay calm, and speak only the truth.

 

Blog post image by Aaron Cabrera from Pixabay