What comes into your mind when you’re commanded to “honor God?”
If you’re anything like me— far from beautiful or inerrant— your initial thoughts are to serve Him. We need action. We need to do stuff for God.
Some quick resolutions might be action points like serving in the ministry, giving your tithes and offerings, running charities and foundations for the poor, leading a small group, or preaching. The list could go on.
But I’ve come closer and closer to the realization that this default behavior is leading us away from another way to honor Him. And it’s one way, I argue, that is far better and far more important than our service to the Lord.
The Tale of Two Sisters
The story of Mary and Martha’s response to Jesus’ visit is nothing short of familiar if you’re a follower of Christ. But, you have to admit, this story bewilders us to this very day. For those unaware of the narrative, here it goes:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus[a] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.[b] Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)
Confusing isn’t it? You have to admit it goes against a strand so well ingrained in our human nature. We’ve been so well pre-conditioned by the world to respond in action.
The first thought we have when we wake up is probably the mountain of tasks we need to complete by the end of the day. We’re constantly chasing after deliverables and parading our busyness as if it were the highest badge of honor.
And the idea of serving God— doing things for Him and His people— oh how it fits our natural default. Just like Martha, we constantly catch ourselves in this endless cycle of looking for something to do for God. The result? A service that only makes us critical, cynical, and covetous.
Mary chose the good portion— one that Jesus refused to take away from her. Why? It’s not because meals weren’t important. It wasn’t because Martha was being a “bad Christian.” It’s because in the hierarchy of priorities, enjoying Jesus’ presence was what honored and delighted Him the most.
A Quick Clarification
That’s not to say that serving has no place in the pursuit of God’s honor. It’s still very much a vital one. To say that it’s not is like saying that eating is no longer needed because we’re breathing anyway. Enjoying God’s presence must be the better portion. It must be FIRST, and it must be TOP PRIORITY.
And as we enjoy Him, the service overflows. Only then do we start to obey the command given by Psalm 100:2 to “serve the Lord with gladness!” Without enjoyment, our service becomes very much like Martha’s- again back to critical, cynical, covetous.
We start to compare as if our service to the Lord is some form of competition— that we honor God more than our brothers and sisters.
We start to comment on other people’s service and hold them to an invisible standard and say things like “They should worship this way” or “They should serve that way.” To serve in any other way than your brand of service would be considered an abomination.
Pretty soon, we start stomping our feet toward God and barking orders at God as if we were in charge and not him. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
When we choose to enjoy God’s presence first, the service should and will most likely follow, but it comes out the right way. Our services, as a result of our enjoyment of God, becomes life-giving, loving, and- in many ways- more anointed.
I’ve never met anyone so deeply in love with God who didn’t choose to serve Him. Sadly, I meet people who serve God with empty hearts and dry spirits all the time. It’s safe to say that, like me, you definitely desire the first. Praise be to God, that He makes that abundantly possible by giving us first the chance to enjoy His presence!
Not That Easy
Now, before you throw your hands in the air and shout “Hallelujah!” because Christianity just became more convenient, hold your breath.
Our enjoyment of God is not as easy as some make it out to be. First, because there’s no set template to enjoy God. We exist in a land of “do this” and “do that.” So we want the ten quick steps and five best hacks to enjoy God and His presence. It doesn’t work that way.
It’s only in the context of a budding and thriving relationship with God that the enjoyment flows. And that takes intentionality and discipline. It also requires sacrifice. So, we must constantly build into ourselves a longing to seek first God and His kingdom.
What helps me- and something that will hopefully help you too- is to ask, “When was the last time I blocked off time to simply commune with God?” To just come to Him as you are without agenda, without a template, without a list.
Moreover, our enjoyment of God always collides with our enjoyment of other things of this world— our wealth, status, or even service.
There are many things we can enjoy at once. But our enjoyment of God is often not as cohesive with other forms of enjoyment. It certainly can’t co-exist with our enjoyment of sin. And so there must be this oversaturation of God’s joy every day as we allow it to push out our delight and hunger for what the world has to offer.
To enjoy and love God more, we must enjoy and love less of the world and what it has to offer.
Final Thoughts
The chief end of man, in the words of the Westminster Catechism, is “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” The two might not necessarily be dichotomous. They’re intertwined. We glorify God best when we enjoy Him. We serve Him best when we rely solely on Him for our joy and satisfaction.
That’s why enjoying God should be our first step to a life that honors Him.
