Ephesians 5:21
Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Last year, my sister was
hospitalized on Christmas Day with breathing difficulties. She stayed
there several days. Facebook became a great way to update people about
her condition and ask for prayer…and thankfully, her condition did
improve. But Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets are also a
hotbed for disrespect. People who profess to be faith-filled
Christians go at one another with all of the fervor of rabid dogs.
Wives post ugly cartoons and comments about their husbands or
partners…who in turn make snide remarks and post equally unkind
photos/sayings about their wives or significant others.
And
let’s be honest…more than a few of us have been unkind toward a
political candidate – or even our own children - as we post critical
remarks and embarrassing photos/stories. We give little to no thought
about how these make the person feel – or how we look by doing so.
Okay, so maybe your kid doesn’t see Facebook now…but he/she probably
will someday. Do you really want them to know that you shared their
bathroom antics or that song they sang in the shower when they thought
no one was listening?
My point is that we have all become lax
about respect…toward each other, and most certainly toward God. We have
arbitrarily decided that some words we once would never utter are now
perfectly okay in polite conversation. And even with all the talk of
“political correctness,” we still feel free to say whatever pops into
our heads. We take God’s name in vain. We “shoot now and ask questions
later” with regard to everything from judging others and calling on the
name of Jesus to declaring that our faith and way of worship is
superior to that of the next guy – all the while failing to consider
that God loves them just as much as He cares about us!
Watch the
nightly news or pick up a newspaper…Christians are disrespecting each
other – AND GOD – at every turn. We have tossed reverence and respect
for one another to the curb…and by “doing this to the least of these,”
we have done it to God. But we can change. We can open our hearts and
minds…listen for God’s voice…and submit to His will. We can say to Him,
“Father, I am sorry for how I have treated You and Your children.
Please show me how to correct this.” And then we must follow through on
our commitment.
I urge you to search your heart and see where
you have become lax in your respect and reverence for God…and for
others. Make this the day that you begin to turn this around, once and
for all. In this season when we are supposedly so focused on Christ
Jesus, will you renew your effort to show Him the respect He is due?
Don’t you think you should?
©2015 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment