Honoring God First

Caring Ministry Value #1

We recognize that our ability to biblically love and care for someone else comes from the love and care that we have received from God. As we consider caring for others, we must first consider our own relationship with God during both good times and bad. Therefore, a caring Christian is committed to always honoring God first. Honoring God first means that during times of suffering, the Christian is able to maintain a correct view of God and His redemptive purposes. In this, he will learn to know God in a new way, increasing his confidence in God’s sovereign goodness, and enabling him to praise God in the midst of difficulty. His ongoing goal is to obediently promote God’s fame, whether or not God chooses to remove his suffering.

This is based on the truths in the following verses:

• It is important to keep a correct view of God during time of suffering. Job 42:1-6
• There is a redemptive purpose in suffering. 1 Pet. 1:6-9
• Honoring God means seeking to know a different aspect of God through suffering. Job 42:5, Ps 40
• It is possible to obey God in the face of persecution or injustice. Daniel chapter 3, esp. vv. 16-18
• We are called to seek His kingdom first, in both good times and bad. Matt 6:33
• God is praiseworthy in the midst of suffering. Ps 46
• We can be confident in God’s sovereign goodness during suffering or uncertainty. Dan. 3:16-18, 2 Cor 1