Do We Really Prove It?

Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. 

Have respectful fear of God. 

Honor those in authority over you.

1 Peter 2:17 

Respect...we all want it.  Some even DEMAND it.  But are we willing to show it?   Some would call it "courtesy" because what was once "common courtesy" is no longer common.  But when Jesus reminded us to treat each other in the same way as we want to be treated by others, He wasn't kidding!

But prove your respect for others by your actions, rather than mere words.  Words are easy and cheap and we tend to forget many of the promises we speak ("I'm praying for you", "I'll always be there for you", "I love you").  Words are only proven by our actions! 

The word Jesus uses that is translated "Treat" is an action word.  It requires intentional and direct action!  If you want to be respected and honored, RESPECT AND HONOR others!

Elected....Now What?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior

1 Timothy 2:1-3 

 

Now that the election is over and our votes have been cast, what do we do now?  Well, let me be honest, if your candidate did not win, you need to take your disappointment, anger, frustration, and all other feelings to God and ask Him to give you the peace of knowing He is still the one in control, regardless who got elected. 

 

 If your candidate won, you need to ask God to guide them, help them be a strong and just leader, and give them the wisdom to do what's best for the country.

 

You see, regardless of who is elected, we are commanded to pray for them!

The Wind

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. 

1 John 3:18 

 

A boy went to the stream to get a bucket of water for his grandfather's garden, but every time he got to the garden his bucket was empty.  He did this over and over with the same result, always the bucket was empty by the time he got to the garden.  Finally, in frustration he sat on the ground by the garden and yelled, "I DON'T GET IT!"

 

His grandfather came from the other side of the garden, looked at the bucket, then hugged his grandson and said, "Go back to the shed and get the bucket without the hole in the bottom."

 

 Think about this, our empty words are like that bucket....they just don't work.  How many times have we said, "I'm sorry" and those words were nothing more than empty air.  How many times have we said, "I'll pray for you" and were forgotten the very moment they passed out lips. 

 

We are VERY good with using words. Some are extremely eloquent.  Some can offer beautiful words that would convince us of their absolute sincerity, except for one thing...their actions!

 

You've heard the old adage that "Actions Speak Louder Than Words."  It's true!  There was a time when a person's word was their honor, bond, reputation, and was more valuable than gold itself, because when a person SAID they would do something...they PROVED it by DOING it! 

 

And yes, I have a bruise between the eyes on this one too: If you aren't willing to do what you say, then don't say it. 

Let's Talk About Gratitude, Shall We?

So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they’d been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.

Genesis 3:23-24

We like to be appreciated.  We like for our efforts to be noticed.  We like to be rewarded for doing our best.  Let's face it, go to any restaurant and the servers who truly want to a good gratuity will prove themselves worthy.  What would happen if you were only paid a gratuity based on proving your gratitude?  Some days, I would rack up...but, sadly, there would be many days I would have nothing but pocket lint.

Here's a little equation that might be helpful (yeah, and here I thought Algebra was pointless):  g*h = r 

Think about it for a moment.  It's not that difficult, Gratitude times Honor equals Respect!  But we are an ungrateful lot!  We take things for granted constantly!  We seem to have the mindset that, for some reason, we are OWED simply for existing!  Look at today's passage.  Adam and Eve took the Garden of Eden for granted!  They had THE perfect life and could do whatever they wanted EXCEPT to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.  Had they been grateful for all that had been provided for them (and no effort from them was required), and honored God by following His SINGLE rule, the Garden would still be their dwelling place.  But they chose to be ungrateful and take all God's provisions for them for granted. 

I cannot emphasize this enough: Gratitude, Honor and Respect are CONSCIOUS DECISIONS we make every day.  Now.....also keep in mind that the opposite is also true: Ingratitude, Dishonor and Disrespect are also CONSCIOUS DECISIONS we make.  

Our words can NOT hide what is in our hearts!  We can speak the right words and get what we want from others (abusing the relationships and trusts), but eventually our actions will reveal the true person we are!  Are you truly a grateful person who honors God by respecting others and you don't have to "fake it 'til you make it"?  Or are you full of manure and you're busy trying to hide the flies?

God Don't Play!  And He holds us accountable!  Disrespect, Dishonor and an Ungrateful person will not be a happy camper!