Respect: March 29, 2011

MARCH 29. TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 29, 2011

RESPECT

DEFINITION:
Treat with special consideration, high regard and high esteem; courteous and considerate; honor.

SCRIPTURE:


Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. Ephesians 6:1-2.

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. Titus 3: 1-2.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

TODAY WE READ THE WORDS OF ONE OF OUR TEENAGE GRANDDAUGHTERS.

Respect is often a difficult topic to discuss, but with the ground rules set by God in the Bible, respect is easier to understand. Having a basis for respect will help families develop a much more honorable family and ultimately a closer relationship with God. Respect needs to be shown towards parents, teachers, oneself, opponents, coaches and government officials.

As one thinks of respect, respect towards parents is most likely the first thing that comes to mind. In Ephesians 6:2 (above) it says, “Honor your father and mother.” This is a commandment that one does not get a choice to obey or not. As a child I am to respect my authorities, especially my parents. We all go through a stage in our lives when respecting our parents is not the easiest thing to do. We argue, disagree, and share different opinions, but this doesn’t mean we can’t still respect our parents. I know from personal experience, that if I did not get my way, I would be very disrespectful towards my parents with my attitude and words. Having respect towards parents will help me be much more respectful towards other people that come into my life.

A teacher is another person to be respectful towards. When students are respectful towards their teachers, a stronger relationship will form between student and teacher. A teacher will be more willing to help their students succeed when he/she has a classroom full of respectful students that are ready to learn.

Before I can respect others, I have to respect myself. Self-respect will lead to respecting my peers and higher authorities. When I respect myself, I have a better self image. A key to a good self image is realizing that I am a child of God and a part of God’s creation. Once I have a respect for myself and others I will be able to show Christ’s love through my words and deeds.

As an athlete, I have learned that I have to respect the other team in both wins and losses. I have lost to many teams that are not respectful which is unsportsmanlike and causes a feeling of hurt. Coaches have also been a huge factor in my life. I played volleyball for a club team in which my coach tore me and my teammates down. It took me all season to realize no matter how horribly she treated us; I still had to respect her because she was an authority to me. By having respect for her and showing compassion, I was able to be a witness and live out Christ’s love.

Sometimes respect needs to be shown to authority that we may not encounter in our daily lives such as government officials. Even though we may not agree with the way things are done in this country, we have to trust that God is the ultimate official and He has put those people in charge for a reason, whether it be good or bad.
Showing respect can be very difficult at times. When we are respectful, we are able to show love towards others which glorifies God. Respecting each of these earthly people teaches us to ultimately respect God. If we can’t respect people we can see, how can we respect someone we can’t see?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 11:2.

When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.

PRAYER:

We thank You for grandchildren who have learned the meaning of respect. We thank You that our grandchildren respect You as their Lord and their parents, peers, siblings, teachers and others in life. Give us all today a new respect for what we have in You, our God and Savior.