Honor God…and He Will Honor You

Honor God…and He Will Honor You (I Samuel 2:30)

I Samuel 2:30, “Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

A profound principle which extends to this day remains: those that honor the Lord will be honored. Those who have little regard for Him and His precepts will receive little esteem from Him. God blesses those who honor Him, and at the least withholds His blessing from those who ignore Him.

In 2004, Chinese athlete Liu Xiang won Olympic glory for his nation as the gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles. After his victory, he was acknowledged as the first male Chinese-born track and field Olympic champion. However, if you were to go to Weifang in Shandong, you’d find a monument to another son of China who won track and field gold 80 years earlier. That monument is the burial site of Eric Liddell. Liddell was the son of Scottish missionaries who competed in the 1924 Paris Olympics for the United Kingdom. But Liddell was born in Tianjin, China, and later died in a Japanese incarceration camp near Weifang during World War II. His picture is mounted there on a lamppost, and a large granite stone is inscribed with his achievements.

There are a number of reasons to remember Liddell. As this summer commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the 1924 Paris Olympics, we look back on his triumphant victory there in the 400 meters. That story begins in his rivalry with fellow British sprinter Harold Abrahams, the two entering the Olympics as favorites in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. However, Liddell dropped out of a heat for the 100 meters because it was run on Sunday (a race Abrahams later won). Liddell’s decision to skip those races for his religious convictions was immortalized in the movie Chariots of Fire.

Leaving his young son in boarding school in Great Britain was the hardest thing Rev. James Dunlop Liddell, Scottish missionary to China, had ever done. But Eric thrived like a hare in the highlands. He studied hard. He loved sports, particularly rugby. He joined a Bible study, faithfully attended church regularly, and became a member of the Crusader Christian Union. He also began his lifelong habit of early morning Bible reading and prayer. Eric advanced to the university, joined the track team, and won races like a thoroughbred. Every week he brought home more prizes and trophies until he soon ran out of storage space. His legs became a Scottish national treasure, and all the world followed him to the 1924 Olympics. All the while, Eric’s Christian life continued on the fast track as well, and his newly-found fame gave plenty of opportunities for preaching and witnessing. At the Paris Olympics, his faith was put to the test when his chosen venue, the 100-meter race, was scheduled for Sunday. Eric, who didn’t believe in competing on the Lord’s Day, opted out. In spite of pressure and criticism, he instead entered the 400-meter run that was on a different day as the world watched and wondered at this unusual young man. Perhaps an even greater reason to remember Liddell is his decision to lay aside his athletic career for a higher calling. After returning from Olympic triumph in Paris to overwhelming popular adulation, he shocked everyone by announcing his intention to return to China as a missionary.

In an age when sports were becoming ever more popular in Britain, many argued he could reach more people at home than abroad. Indeed, the Sunday after he returned from Paris to preach in a Scottish church, the pews were filled with people. Liddell preached on Psalm 119:18, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law”. It was acceptable that staying in Britain and continuing his athletic career might fit hand-in-glove with Liddell’s desire to preach the gospel. When asked why he’d give up such an opportunity, he’d simply reply, “Because I believe God made me for China.” The next summer, he traveled the Trans-Siberian railway overland from Europe through Russia and down to China. He would serve there for 20 years as a missionary. In his dressing room, just before the race, Eric unfolded a small bit of paper that had been given to him by the team masseur. It read, “In the old book it says ‘He that honors me I will honor.’ Wishing you the best of success always.” Eric knew the verse very well. It was I Samuel 2:30. He smiled and made up his mind that, win or lose, he would honor God, and that he did.

I Samuel 2:30 played an important role in the life of Eric Liddell. He and the Lord had honored each other. He won the gold medal. His time that day was 47.6 seconds. He set a new world record. The Lord had blessed him with speed like a stallion. God's Word is clear, those who honor Him will be honored, and those who despise Him will be held in low esteem. God honors and blesses faithfulness. God places great merit on faithfulness. He is looking for men and women faithful to Him. Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” I Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

God is looking for faithful men like:

1. Job. Job 23:11, “My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.”
2. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Daniel 3:18, “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
3. Peter & John. Acts 4:19-20, “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
4. Paul. Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
5. Timothy. I Corinthians 4:17, “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.”

Points to Ponder:
God places great merit on faithfulness.
He is looking for men and women faithful to Him (Proverbs 20:6; I Corinthians 4:2).
Honor God and He will honor you and your faithfulness to Him.

Questions to Consider:
Are you faithful or a failure in obedience to the Lord?
Are you honoring the Lord with your life?
How will you choose to honor the Lord today?

PRAYER: Lord, I want You to know how important You are in my life, so I come to You now, giving You the first portion of my day. Help me to honor You in attitude and actions today. In Jesus name, AMEN!

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