SHOW RESPECT FOR OTHERS

 

SHOW RESPECT FOR OTHERS

I Peter 2:17 Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king.  NLT

      Show respect for everyone, not just those you agree with or like.  We should respect the fact that everyone is created by God and is given a soul.  We should respect the fact Jesus died for all of us, no matter how “bad” a person may be.  We should respect the fact that God has given honor to human life.  Some people act in such a way that we can no longer respect them for what they do or say, but they still are people created in God’s image and their lives are not a trivial thing. 

       Respect should be a given in the household of faith.  We are commanded by God to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  You cannot properly love those who you have no respect for.  No matter how much we may disagree with each other, we must respect each other.  Who are we to trivialize someone whom Jesus died for and redeemed?  Every believer is worthy of our love and respect.

     A proper respect is rooted in a proper fear of God.  Much of the Church has lost a sense of fear for God.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we have trivialized God by eliminating our fear of Him.  God commands our respect.  He is God.  He is holy.  He is judge.  He is Lord.  A fear of God is essential for a healthy soul and healthy relationships within the church.

     What we think about God affects how we live on earth.  God commands that we respect those who rule over us.  Earthly rulers are ordained by God to keep order and to take care of His people.  Without those who rule over us, there would be utter chaos. 

      In the Church, we are commanded to respect our pastors and teachers.  Unless someone is leading the church astray or is not living a godly life, we should lend them our support and love.  We should come alongside of them to help them fulfill God’s calling on their lives.  We should respect them by heeding their instruction and applying it to our lives.  We should respect them by always striving to grow in grace and honoring the Lord in all things.  We should respect them by putting into practice what we are taught.  We should be slow to judge and quick to support them.

       We may not agree with others or get along with them, but we must respect them as people made in the image of God who have souls and deserve to be treated well.