I’ve observed that our culture has grown increasingly casual about what matters most.

Words are deemed as cheap. Commitments appear to be optional. Respect is often withheld unless it is first earned. In many ways, honor has become a forgotten virtue.

We see it in how people speak to one another, how authority is dismissed, how sacred things are treated as ordinary. What’s troubling is not just that honor is fading in society. It’s that it is fading even among those who describe themselves as Christian.

For “The Lost Virtue,” the Spirit anchors us in 1 Peter 2:17. “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” Before honor can correctly flow outward, it must be rooted upward.

So, we begin where honor always begins: with God. Before we can honor people or God’s Church, we must ask ourselves: Do I truly honor God? Not just with our Sunday words, but with our everyday obedience, our daily priorities, and our reverence.

The unpopular truth is that when God is reduced to convenience, honor erodes everywhere else. But honor begins when God is no longer treated lightly but lived for RIGHTLY. Let’s see what it means to live a life that honors God, not out of fear, but out of reverence for Who He is and gratitude for what He has done.

We cannot honor God if we don’t properly value Him.

The Holy Spirit speaks loudly to us in Psalm 29. Verse 2 says: “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” The word “glory” is translated as “honor” in some Bibles. The New Life Version records it plainly: “Give to the Lord the honor that belongs to Him.”

This Psalm calls God’s people to see the Lord as He truly is: holy, majestic, and worthy of our worship!

Honor is not something God needs from us. He does not become more because we praise Him. To honor Him is to see Who He is, confess His unmatched worth, and respond rightly.

This is where too many struggle. We say God is first but our schedules say differently. We sing of His holiness, but we rush by His presence. We call Him Lord, but we debate His commands.

Worship then turns into an optional routine. Obedience becomes selective. Reverence gives way to familiarity. We do not reject God outright; we reduce Him to fit Him into the margins of our lives rather than centering everything in orbit around Him.

Honor begins when God is no longer treated lightly but lived for RIGHTLY. Not what’s convenient or leftover. God is worthy of honor because of who He is, even if He gave us nothing.

A low view of God always leads to a light treatment of God.

God honors those who treat Him as weighty, not familiar.

In Scripture, “honor” carries the idea of weightiness. The problem is that we often treat God casually or lightly.

Hear God’s Word to Eli, the High Priest, in 1^st Samuel 2. “Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded… and honor your sons more than Me… Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (29a, 30b).

The Kingdom principle is this: covenants are broken over time if we insist on treating God as familiar and live in disobedience.

Neither Eli nor his sons were outsiders. They were priests who worked around holy things every day. They handled the sacred. But they allowed their familiarity to replace their reverence.

What was deemed as weighty became routine. The sacred became common. And God says, “Those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” So, when God is treated as weightless, He allows us to experience the consequences.

God is not impressed by our familiarity. He honors those who refuse to treat Him casually, who recognize His weightiness.

When God is weighty, obedience matters. Worship deepens. Sin is taken seriously. Grace is treasured. But when God is reduced, boundaries blur and conviction fades. God is not asking us to fear Him as a tyrant, but to revere Him as holy. Honor begins when God is no longer treated lightly, but lived for rightly.

Honor is proven NOT by words, but by alignment.

Proverbs 3:9–10 moves honor from theory to practice. “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of ALL your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” This is about priorities.

In a farming culture, first fruits represented the first and best portion. To give God the first fruits was to declare your trust in His future provisions before the full harvest was ever seen.

“Honor” is revealed by what we give God first. Our time. Our obedience. Our resources. “Honor” shows up when our lives line up with what we say we believe about God’s ways.

Anyone can say God is worthy. Honor becomes visible when God is trusted first rather than last; when He is sought before decisions are made; when generosity flows from gratitude. This is not transactional. God is NOT saying, “Pay Me, and I will bless you.” He’s saying, “Trust Me, and you will see I AM faithful.”

Honor prioritizes God by keeping His ways and means at the center of our lives, not the margins.

Honor begins when God is no longer treated lightly but lived for rightly. When God’s ways shape our decisions, honor moves from confession to conduct. It’s a life that reflects His glory.

Honor ultimately finds its fullest expression, not in what we say about God, but in how we respond to the One He has sent.

The clearest way to honor God is to honor His Son.

Jesus says in John 5:22–23, “For the Father… has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

God’s perfect will is clear. Honoring His Son is the ultimate test of honor. You cannot claim reverence or faith in God while sidelining His Son.

Honoring Jesus is not just appreciating His teachings or His example. It means submitting to His authority as your judge.

To “honor the Son” is to receive Him as Savior, obey Him as Lord, and “honor the King” (1 Peter 2:17). This is where all points converge.

We honor God’s worth by seeing Jesus for who He truly is. We honor God’s weight by refusing to treat Christ casually. We honor God’s ways by aligning our lives with Christ’s commands.

This is God’s will: that His Son would be honored, exalted, and obeyed. Honor begins when God is no longer treated lightly, but lived for RIGHTLY. It reaches its fullest expression when our hearts, homes, and lives revolve around the will of our King.

Honor is not something we merely discuss.

We demonstrate it with our lives. If God is not honored first, honor will never flow correctly anywhere else. Honor begins when God is no longer treated lightly but lived for RIGHTLY.

God’s will is clear. You honor God by honoring His Son. God is not asking for your admiration; He is asking for your allegiance.

The final question before us is simple and personal. Is Jesus Christ truly honored in my life? Not just believed in. Not just acknowledged. But honored as your Lord and Savior.