GIVE HONOR

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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Today, the Lord is challenging us to honor and praise those responsible for the blessings and successes we encounter in life. As we learn to acknowledge those who have sacrificed so that we might be blessed, we learn the value and benefit of giving honor to whom honor is due. 

As we will hear in the following passage, the Lord has called his people not to forget the true foundation upon which their success has been built. The Lord has provided, and God’s people have been blessed by his generosity. 

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 

12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 

15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 

17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God.

(Deuteronomy 8:10-20 NIV11)

Here are the leadership highlights that we would do well to learn:

Verses 10-11 – Don’t convince yourself that you are the source of your success. 

Yes, you did the hard work. Yes, you made the most of each opportunity that came along. Yes, you have the scars to prove that you were in the battle. But the victory and the blessings have been made possible by the generosity of the Lord. 

Verses 12-14 – Pride leads to your fall. 

Like the people of Israel, you will be tempted to see your successes in life as the result of your unique talents and unmatched intelligence. This way of thinking led the Israelites to a great falling away from the Lord. They ultimately forgot the Lord and paid a high price. We must learn from their example and choose to keep giving God the praise. 

Verses 15-16 – Give thanks for times of testing.

Even the bumps and bruises of life are a gift when we give them to the Lord. The Lord led the Israelites through rough and hostile territory before he opened the way to enter the promised land. This time of testing and training is what allowed them to be resilient enough to obey the Lord and enter into God’s promised future. Give God praise even when you are doing it tough. 

Verses 17-18 – Don’t forget the Lord.

This is a huge trap for many of God’s children. The Lord leads us into hardship, and we are made strong as we cling to him and trust in him. But when this new-found strength helps us overcome our obstacles in life, and we taste sweet success, we forget about how the Lord has worked in us to bring us to this point. 

Verses 19-20 – Reject self-worship.

Choosing to praise ourselves rather than honoring those who have helped us achieve our goals will ultimately lead us down the path of destruction. Like the Israelites, who neglected the praise of the Lord as they experienced success and blessing, we can lose ourselves in our false sense of self-importance. And like the Hebrews, this misplaced worship will lead us into idolatry, self-worship, and the loss of our faithfulness before the Lord. 

Reflection

•   How has the Lord made it possible for you to become the man or woman you are today?
•   Do you willingly and cheerfully give honor to the Lord for his leadership and provision?
•   Are there any areas of life where you are at risk of stealing the honor and praise that belong to the Lord?
•   What are you being called to give God praise for today? 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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