Good Morning My Friends! Wow has this morning’s writing been challenged. My computer froze right in the middle of researching, writing, and preparing. I guess our enemy didn’t want you to know what to refrain from and what to embrace today. But praise be to God, He restored everything! So, here we go with today’s intentional living.
“Show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17, NIV).
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
Sock it to me, Sock it to me, Sock it to me!
A little respect
Aretha Franklin’s famous song is ringing in my ears this morning! Makes me smile as I realize what God wants us to embrace today.
Let’s get started.
Disrespect
Disrespect is speech or behavior which shows that you do not think someone or something is valuable or important. When we show disrespect to someone we’re being inconsiderate, rude, and cruel. You’ll see later, this behavior has consequences.
You know when you’re on the receiving end of being disrespected. We don’t feel joyful, grateful, or hospitable toward others when they disrespect us. Am I right?
I think it’s possible we aren’t actually able to name what the behavior is that someone is doing that actually is disrespect.
So today, God wants us to consider what disrespect looks like. Disrespect is when we do any of the following:
- Curse someone
- Speak evil of someone
- Dig or have cutting remarks to someone
- Jibe or mock someone
- Tease someone
- Insult someone
- Taunt someone
No wonder people don’t feel good toward others when they act like that!
Show Respect
God wants us to show proper respect to others.
What is respect? What’s respect look like?
When we respect someone we recognize the worth of that person.
In Greek respect means literally:
- “lift up the face”
- “receive him with favor”
- “accept the person instead of the cause”
So when we show respect to someone, we are accepting the person with favor. We are lifting the person up, not tearing the person down like disrespect does.
Did you know we are to respect everyone?
“Show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17, NIV).
The Bible is filled with Scriptures that covers every kind of person and role a person may have in life. None of us are exempt from showing respect. Everyone includes:
- Your parents – “Each of you must respect your mother and father” (Leviticus 19:3, NIV).
- The elderly – “show respect for the elderly” (Leviticus 19:32, NIV).
- Wives – “the wife must respect her husband” (Ephesians 5:33, NIV).
- Husbands – “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7, NIV).
These are just some verses, but God has clearly instructed us to show respect to all.
Worthy of Respect
Everyone is also supposed to be worthy of respect. Here’s are a partial list:
- Overseers – “Now the overseer is to be… respectable…He must manage his own family well…he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect” (1 Timothy 3:2-4, NIV).
- Deacons – “In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect” (1 Timothy 3:8, NIV).
- Women – “In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything” (1 Timothy 3:11, NIV).
- Men – “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect” (Titus 2:2, NIV).
- Masters – “All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect” (1 Timothy 6:1, NIV).
Why We Respect
We need to respect first and foremost because God commands us to. There are consequences:
- Our prayers are hindered – “so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7, NIV).
- God’s name is slandered – “so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered” (1 Timothy 6:1, NIV).
- Death – “For God said: Honor your father and your mother; and, The one who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death” (Matthew 15:4, HCSB).
However, when we respect we will be rewarded!
“Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded” (Romans 13:13, NIV)
Remember, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:11, ESV).
Let’s be careful to respect others.
Are You Worthy of Respect?
Before we move on to practical applications today, I want to ask you something.
Are you worthy of respect?
According to God, we’re all to be respected, but that doesn’t mean we act worthy of respect. When we don’t respect others, we make it very difficult for them to respect us.
Keep in mind, even though we are to show respect to everyone no matter what, we can either help or hinder them to show respect to us.
Practical Application
So, today. We need to embrace respect and refrain from disrespect.
Take an inventory of your own behavior today. Check to see if any of the lists above you embrace.
Resolve to not sin with your mouth today. (Psalm 17:3)
Listen to Aretha Franklin’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T song! Hum it, sing it, and think it! Maybe it will help you remember to respect everyone today.
Just for Today
Refrain from Disrespect. Embrace Respect!
Leave a Reply