Christ Leads The Way

“Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said” – Matthew 21:37

“All people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” – John 5:28

Recently I published an article about how homosexuality is a choice – albeit a poor choice that people make. While detailing a discussion that ensued among participants in a communications training course that I attended, I mentioned how that I hesitated to even describe in specific some of the things that were said as they were a bit unseemly. After reflecting upon those writings, I realize that I should have followed my natural inclinations and not have written such things as it did not render grace to the hearers/readers, including me – even though talking about something as detestable and abominable as homosexuality, the point could be conveyed without relaying exactly what was said. I want to always have my speech seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6) so that anyone hearing can benefit from it – even if I am trying to relay what someone else says. I have since corrected the error in judgement in that post and am more mindful of how things can be taken in a negative way – even when I don’t intend for them to be. I always want my readers and anyone with whom I am in contact, especially those who I dearly love, to always feel and be respected.

The Scripture teaches us to avoid irreverent and empty speech because it only produces a greater measure of ungodliness (2 Timothy 2:16). Also, “pleasant speech increases learning” (Proverbs 16:21). It is my hope that anyone who may read will increase their learning about how to get to heaven and be reverent before the Lord. I also believe wholeheartedly that if we as a people will ever progress and thrive, then we must love, honor, and respect one another. The Bible instructs us to “honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor” (1 Peter 2:17). We must first and foremost honor and respect God. If we do not respect His son or daughter whom He created in His own image, then there is no way that we can expect to be right before the Lord. We are to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). And that’s my goal – to honor the king, to honor His name, and to honor His people. That’s all I want to do with my life.

“You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All you descendants of Israel, revere Him!” – Psalm 22:23 

God and His son must be honored and revered by all people. We can honor God by doing what He says and carrying out what he has commanded. He has commanded that we treat everyone how we want to be treated by loving our neighbors as ourselves. When I think about God, respect, and His beloved son, I can’t help but think how the Lord left the glory of heaven, put on filthy human flesh, sacrificed everything, and then had people to spit in His face; they ridiculed Him, and they said all types of hateful and disrespectful things to and about him (Matthew 26:27). Just think about that: the son of the living God who only loved and gave himself as a sacrifice had low, vile, ungodly, sinful, and wicked people making a spectacle of and disrespecting Him. That angers me to no end. It’s no wonder why Peter cut off the ear of Malchus when the mob came to take Jesus away (John 18:10). The indignation that he felt must have been so great that he had to do something about it. I can imagine how Peter felt.

When I was around the age of 14 or so, one of my younger cousins spat in my face. I don’t remember much after that, because I had to have blanked out or something. All I remember was feeling a rage like I had never felt before and trying to break away from the three people who were holding me down and back. That’s one of the most disrespectful things that you can do to a person. Multiply that times 100, and imagine the effect. I cannot tolerate disrespect. It’s one of the things I hate most in this world. And God, in His infinite wisdom, knows His children. Oh, He knows.

Something about disrespect just sends me to another place that is not good. If it doesn’t stop, I honestly fear what will happen. So, when I think about the Precious Lamb of God being spit at and slapped, yet standing there and taking it when He could have completely obliterated everyone instantly for their blatant irreverence, it humbles me. Christ truly is the answer. If it wasn’t for Him I don’t know where I would be.

So, when people fail to show respect and honor to one another – especially to me and the ones that I love – it enrages me. I can’t stand disrespect. I don’t know how to tolerate it. I just have to keep a direct line of communication open with the Lord, and He helps me. But when it’s gotten to be too much, I have had enough of it, and that’s all she wrote.

For instance, there are people at my part-time job who try to be disrespectful on the sly. That’s not any better. And then they have the nerve to smile in my face and act like they weren’t just talking about me. And it just keeps building and building until it becomes a spit-in-my-face.

The person who is supposed to be the team leader, is disrespectful to other people there, too. One other worker already gave him an earful for talking down to him. Maybe I’m being a little paranoid. But the way he acts towards me and his behavior does not make me feel very good. And I don’t like it. I try to brush those things aside, but it’s only a matter of time before I say something – in a respectful manner, of course. He still has a soul and despite the way he treats people, I want him to hear and know the gospel of Jesus Christ and one day be saved.

You are much more likely to get somewhere with people if you show respect. If someone wants to know something about me or has a question, the best way to go about it is to simply and respectfully ask me – not while I’m preoccupied, half-conscious, or asleep so that the response can be manipulated into what you want it to be. Being deceitful or disrespecting me, my loved ones, or God is the absolute last way to get me to do anything that you want. It just doesn’t work that way. It’s not that hard to show honor to one another. It’s actually very important. Show respect. It’s in your best interest (Matthew 21:33-41).

“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28). God only wants the best for us; His desire is that every person will be saved. But we must reverence Him and His word in order to receive that salvation from eternal death. He commands that we believe in His only begotten Son Jesus as the Christ (Mark 16:16), that we confess the name of Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), that we repent of our sins to receive forgiveness (Acts 2:38), and that we be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16). Honor the Father and the sacrifice of Christ and do what He says in order to be saved. Let’s get to heaven.