Sunday, November 6, 2011

Respect and Honor

This past week while at my son's Cub-scout pack meeting, I was hit square in the face with the realization that honor and respect have become a thing of the past. The pack leader was working so diligently to get the kids quiet for the Bear Cub achievement awards ceremony, but there were several kids who could care less what he had to say. The disheartening part was their parents were too busy texting away on their smart phones to make them pay attention.

Then when I got home I turned on the news and saw images of the occupy protesters. I will not give a political opinion as that is not what this ministry is all about. It is about honoring God first, our parents, our elders, our country, and then as is stated in the Bible, authority. I believe right, wrong or indifferent we should honor one another no matter what side of the issue we find ourselves on. We can disagree but at the end of the day we should respect and love the other person enough to treat them as brothers and sisters.

I believe that it all starts with honoring God and keeping his Word. If we as a nation would get back to the truths that are in the Bible, all of the strife we are feeling would cease. Paul speaking to the Christians in Rome told them to show respect and honor to the authorities. I wasn't living then but I am pretty certain that living in Roman times would have been a little tougher than what we are witnessing today, yet they were still instructed to pay their taxes, customs, and to honor the governing authorities. Today many have been brought up believing that if we disagree then we not only shouldn't show respect and honor, but that it is almost our right to show disrespect. That is not what I find when I read the following passages.

Next week we will finish Romans 13 as the rest of this chapter truly guides us on how we should treat one another.

Have a blessed week,
Billy


Romans 13:1-7
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.  5Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

1 Peter 2:13-17
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

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