Week 1- Whom Do We First Honor?

 MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.

   1 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.  2 There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

   3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. 4 The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.         5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.”

   6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.  8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.  For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.  It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the Lord will be shattered.  He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.  He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

   30 But now the Lord declares…“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”

1 Samuel 2:1-10, 30b

What does this passage have to say about honor?

Why is that important?

TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

1) Who is the primary subject of Hannah’s prayer?  What does verse 2 tell us about our God?  As Hannah speaks, what is revealed about her attitude toward God?

2) The most basic means of honoring God is to recognize who He is.  Could you say verse 2 wholeheartedly, believing that this is the God you know and serve?  What are some of the reasons you honor God?  How has he been your “rock?”

WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

3) Does Hannah honor God only because He does what she wants Him to do at all times?  What verses show that she trusts God during the hard times as well — not just the times of great blessing?  What part does trust play in honoring God?

4) Hannah’s speech clearly honors God.  What do you think this says about how she lives her daily life?  Do you know anything about Hannah’s life?  Did she honor God only with her words, or also with her actions?  (Hannah honored God by bringing Samuel, her son, to be raised by Eli, declaring that “for his whole life he will be given over to the Lord” — 1 Samuel 1:28).  How do your speech and actions combine to honor God in your daily life?

THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

5) In verse 30b, God promises to disdain anyone who rejects Him.  Disdain is a complete contrast to honor.  In what ways do you struggle to honor God?   Do you recognize your attitude to be a rejection of God?

6) Take this another step and consider your role as an athlete on a team.  Do you believe that God cares what you do when you’re playing a sport?  Why does He care about how you use your athletic abilities?  Isn’t sports “just for fun”?  How can you honor God in your actions and words with the coach, other players, officials, and fans?  In practice and in games?

FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of honor, and pray together.

· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about honor this week, and to repeat some of those things.  (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about honor you’ve discussed, if necessary.)

· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about honor this week...What does an honorable athlete do?”  Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of an honorable athlete, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.

· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “honorable athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.

· Pray together as a team.  Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of honor — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week.  Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable.  Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding honor or anything else), and pray together.