Hope For Today "Respect"

In the past, many of us have identified ourselves by the names people called us or by the labels they put on us.  God has good news for us today as we seek to live well and enjoy this day with Him and others. The foundation of who we truly are, and living well out of that secure place in our hearts is based on what God says about us.

It is so easy to find fault with what others are doing and to criticize them.  The truth is, it doesn't help to focus on anyone’s flaws and failures, and it distracts from the time and energy we give to God's transforming work in our own lives. While we may think that we are controlling and changing other people by criticizing them, it rarely has that effect. God has a better option for us today.

The story of God connecting with His people in public places like the tabernacle and the temple is told in chapter after chapter in the Old Testament part of the Bible.  So what does that have to do with us today? Amazingly, we are now meant to be those who demonstrate every day this connection between heaven and earth, this God who meets persons and persons who meet with God. 

All of us long for recognition of a commitment kept, a job well done, or an act of service given.  God is committed to honouring us as we live for Him.  As we honour God and others, through our obedience to God’s word, we in turn will receive honor and respect from God and others. The Bible is full of specifics about this and we review just a few of the practical ways we are encouraged to live as honourable people today.

If we treasure something, we usually take special care of it. We don’t neglect it or leave it where it could get damaged or stolen or forgotten about. As God awakens our hearts and our consciousness to new and wonderful truths – what many would call a spiritual awakening - we need to cherish what we have learned and let this truth nourish our hearts and strengthen us to act in new and God honouring ways.

The resurrection of Jesus proves that the power of God’s love is stronger than all of evil so anything challenging that happens in our lives is something we can bring to God and expect His power to make changes in us – not just in our bodies but in our souls and spirits as well.

So few people really recognized Jesus and gave thanks for who He was.  This week we want to take time to focus our attention on Him. We are asking God to help us to honor Jesus in these days and going forward.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17 We work hard at many things – not just our employment but our relationships, our service work, even the chores and handiwork we do.  I don’t know about you but when I know someone appreciates what I do, it gives me energy to get going and do a decent job. This is what we ask of God today.

God longs for us to be people who are alive and fresh and good. He calls us to be his people, distinctive by the fact that we have life in us rather than death, truth that we are basing our values and behaviours on rather than convenient changing social mores.

With all the challenges we face individually and collectively as communities and a society, we’re thinking today about what it means to be supportive  of one another. 

One of the most respectful and generous gifts we can give another person is to really listen to them and receive the stories they have to tell us.