What is Respect?
1 Peter 2:17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.
Leadership comes from inspiration. No matter who you are, as long as you inspire people, they’ll respect you.
We live in a tough world today and we must show our children and grand children how to have respect for God, their parents, their grandparents, their siblings, their cousins and their friends.
God doesn’t ask us to feel willing, He just commands us to be willing.
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land.”Isaiah 1:19
Can you lay aside the things that other person has done and give yourself totally to God?
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”Luke 6:27-28
Humbling ourselves in reverence and honor before Jesus our “King”, delights the heart of Him who lavishes us with His Love and Grace upon our lives.
“The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.”
Proverbs 22:4
I ask myself—What is Respect?
*Respect is to give regard. To give honor.
*Respect lubricates a family—–runs smoother when each has respect for each other.
* Respect is all about WHAT & HOW people communicate.
**Respect is communicated through:
*Giving attention – James. 1:19-20
*Giving affirmation & appreciation
*Showing affection – Rom. 12:10
*Making Positive Changes out of love. 1 Cor. 13:4-7
* Respect can be built and rebuilt.
Be respectable. Be responsible.
Pay attention to OWN growth & change issues.(attitude-actions)!
*Sensitize yourself to what others think and need.
***Respect helps Get a handle on anger, hurt, resentment, bitterness & retaliation process.
*We must remove the arrows of bitterness that have landed in our hearts through unforgiveness.
“See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”
Hebrews 12:15
*Specifically ask for forgiveness.
*Commit to completely forgiving, from the heart, your hurts and offenses.
*Practice the communication skills that Build Respect.
**Then respect will just flow out in many ways. You will not see yourself as a victim and thinking everybody is always just picking on you or out to get you, or you have no other choice.
*You will have a sense of Gratitude and much Thankfulness seeing how Blessed you really have it and know and understand the Grace of our Father.
Proverbs 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
*Loyalty and Kindness are awesome character qualities that are both action and attitude also. You can say words over and over again, but without ACTION, remember, no one will believe you.
*I needed this great truth in my life and so do we all. We need to continually press on in Love with Truth by Action!
I was Drawn in to my faith by the presence of God and His spirit, BUT Grew in faith because of caring and well-meaning people.
I need to apply myself to become more holy. With God’s help, I need to work on being less selfish, less critical, more generous, and more thankful.
I asked myself “Are you as holy as you want to be”?
The first sign of holiness I found out– is that you WANT to be MORE holy than you are. The problem we face in sanctification is discouragement.
I found out that—If sanctification is the only truth you have grasped, the Christian life will always seem beyond you.
Sanctification: “to sanctify” is TO MAKE pure, to make right, or to make holy. The verb “to make” is an ongoing process and tells that we are never finished.
We need to:
1. Walk in Holiness
2. Walk in Harmony
3. Walk in Honesty
That’s why alongside sanctification, we need Regeneration that reminds us of “what God has already done(cross)”, so that we FIND Strength and Joy to continue the journey….
Regeneration is the oasis for your soul. It tells you that alongside the work that Christ continues, there is the work that He has already done.
That’s the water to a thirsty soul!
…Drink deeply of this water. Let Christ tell you who you are in Him. Take in the miracle of grace that He has already done. Stop fretting about what you’re not, and take in who YOU already are:
* In Christ you are a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come! You are God’s Masterpiece(Eph. 2:1-10)
* Take in this truth.
* Drink of this water.
*It will be life to you.
*It will help you overcome discouragement of any kind!
The enemy continues to look for chinks in your armor or places where you are not completely protected so that he can attack.
These places of weakness are because the desires of your soul take preeminence over Truth and Righteousness.
You will have prime opportunities to rise above the works of the flesh and overcome the works of darkness. The Lord has given YOU authority and the ability to gain the victory.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
Lord teach us your ways. May our lives be marked by a daily input of Your Spirit and a healthy fear(respect and Awe) of You in our Life Lord. May we all find Favor with You Lord and Joy in a humble surrendered heart. Help us all to grow in Love and Respect-thinking more highly of others needs more then ourselves and giving You all the Praise and Glory.
Lord, help us to honor and respect You in all that we do. Help us to respect those that we meet with today, including our parents and friends, and let our love for You shine through our lives to them. Help us to honor all the people we meet, loving the unlovely that need our love, and then honoring YOU JESUS in all we do and say. In Jesus Name Amen