How we can honor God

The question of how to honor God is one that every follower of Christ wrestles with at some point. It is easy to talk about honoring God in general terms, but what does it actually look like in practice? The book of Ezekiel, written during one of the darkest seasons in Israel's history, offers three remarkably clear and practical answers to that question. These are not abstract theological concepts. They are principles that cut to the heart of how we live, how we think, and how we relate to the God who created us.

Principle One: Honor God by Remembering His Goodness
In Ezekiel 16, God paints a striking picture of Jerusalem's history using the imagery of an abandoned infant. A newborn child, unwashed and unwanted, is thrown into an open field and left to die. God passes by, sees the child, and chooses not to walk away. He covers her, enters into a covenant with her, adorns her with jewelry and fine clothing, and raises her to become a queen whose fame spreads throughout the nations. The imagery is deeply personal and intentional. God is describing His relationship with the people of Israel, and He wants them to understand one thing clearly: you did not get here on your own.

This is a message that resonates just as powerfully today. Think about where you were before you came to faith in Christ. Think about the condition of your heart, the direction of your life, and the choices you were making. Now think about where you are today. The distance between those two points is not the result of your own effort alone. God is the one who passed by, who saw you, and who chose to enter into a relationship with you.

The tragedy in Ezekiel 16 is that Israel forgot all of this. They began to trust in their own beauty, their own reputation, and their own resources. They took the very blessings God had given them and used those blessings to worship other gods. God says directly in verse 43 that the root of their unfaithfulness was that they did not remember the days of their youth. Forgetting God's goodness opened the door to every form of spiritual wandering that followed.

This raises an honest question worth sitting with: how do you actively remind yourself of what God has done for you? It is not enough to know in theory that God has been good. We need intentional habits of remembrance. Reflecting on who you were before Christ, giving thanks for specific blessings, and recounting God's faithfulness in past seasons of difficulty are all ways of keeping your heart anchored in gratitude. We can enjoy the blessings God gives us, but we must never worship the blessings. We worship the one who blesses us.

Principle Two: Honor God by Submitting to His Word
Ezekiel 17 shifts from poetry to prophecy and tells the story of King Zedekiah, the ruler God allowed Babylon to place over Jerusalem. God's message to Zedekiah through the prophet was clear: submit to Babylonian authority, keep the covenant you have made, and the city will survive. This was not a popular message. It required humility, patience, and trust that God's plan was unfolding even through difficult circumstances.

Zedekiah refused. He looked to Egypt for military support, broke his treaty with Babylon, and chose his own strategy over God's instruction. The result was devastating. Jerusalem fell. The temple was destroyed. The city was reduced to rubble. What makes this tragedy so striking is the realization that none of it had to happen. Babylon would not have lasted forever. If Zedekiah had simply submitted to what God had asked of him, the city would have remained standing.

Disobedience always costs more than obedience ever would have. That is a principle woven throughout scripture and confirmed repeatedly in human experience. When we choose our own wisdom over God's word, we are not exercising strength. We are repeating Zedekiah's mistake. Submitting to God's word is not passive resignation. It is an act of deep trust that says, "I believe your ways are better than mine, even when I cannot see the full picture."

The chapter closes with a beautiful promise. God declares that He himself will take a tender shoot from the top of a cedar and plant it on a high mountain in Israel, where it will grow into a splendid tree and become a shelter for all. This is a messianic promise pointing toward Jesus Christ, the one in whom true and lasting restoration is found. Even in the middle of judgment, God is already speaking about redemption.

Principle Three: Honor God by Accepting Responsibility for Your Actions
Ezekiel 18 addresses a proverb that had become popular among the Israelites living in Babylon: "The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." In other words, the people were blaming their exile on the sins of previous generations. They believed they were suffering for what their ancestors had done, and they thought God was being unjust.

God's response is direct and unambiguous. The soul that sins is the one that will die. A child does not bear the guilt of a parent's sin, and a parent does not bear the guilt of a child's sin. Each person stands before God accountable for their own choices. God is not unjust. He judges each person according to their own ways.

This principle challenges a deeply human tendency to deflect responsibility. We live in a culture that is remarkably skilled at finding someone else to blame for our circumstances. But the call of scripture is different. It is a call to honest self-examination, to repentance, and to the kind of personal accountability that says, "I own my choices and their consequences."

The good news embedded in this chapter is extraordinary. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is not waiting to condemn. He is calling people to turn from their ways and live. No matter what a person has done, the door to repentance is open. And no matter how righteous a person has been, they are not exempt from the need to remain faithful.

Remembering God's goodness, submitting to His word, and accepting responsibility for our actions. These three principles from Ezekiel are not relics of ancient history. They are as relevant today as they were the day they were written. They invite us to examine our own hearts honestly and ask: in what ways am I honoring God, and in what ways am I walking in the footsteps of a people who forgot where they came from?