Complete Respect - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 21, 2024

Since the beginning of time, humans have tried to move beyond their limitations. Adam and Eve tried this, believing the lie that they could have wisdom outside of God and all of humanity lost their access to the Garden of Eden.

People continue down this trajectory seeking the scientific answers that will allow people to become more than just human. What they ignore is that God wants us to be more like Him and has called us to enjoy what He has (2 Peter 1:4). The issue is that He wants us to achieve this through Him and what He has to offer. If we let Him influence our thinking, for instance, we will surely find success. After all, His thoughts and His ways are much higher and therefore better than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

More than anyone, God wants us to do things that seem improbable to others. Those who believe in Christ can heal the sick, drink poison, and not die, and drive out demons (Mark 16: 17-18). God knows that in Him and with Him, all things are possible, and as scripture states in Daniel 11:32, "those who know their God will be strong and do great exploits."

Now, consider what we are to take away from 1 Peter 2:18 - You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh (GNT).

The scripture teaches Christians to treat those who are kind as well as those who are unkind with complete respect. It seems like an unattainable task but as He has called us to do it, we must trust Him to make us capable. We therefore cannot claim a right to disrespect those who disrespect us. Nor can we opt to be petty to those whom we determine - with our human logic - deserve a dose.

This verse doesn't just speak to how we deal with our fellow humans, but it also highlights how we are to treat God the Father. It is easy to get frustrated with Him when things are not going well. In those situations, we could quickly forget our Jericho Moments and all the good He's done for us in the past, only seeing the storm raging around our boat.

However, 1 Peter 2:18 instructs us to not disregard or disrespect God even when things aren't as we would like. We cannot thus say, "Well, God isn't helping me" or "God isn't doing what I want/need" and so, "I'm done with God!" If we are genuine Christians, people who truly believe in Christ and God the Father, then we have to continue honoring and serving Him even when things are tough.

It is during those rough seasons we need to remember Job who didn't curse God at His lowest moment. We have to focus on David who honored God even while being chased by a murderous king, leaving it to God to avenge him against his enemies. We have to look to Hannah who was mocked as barren while she waited for God to make her the mother of many children. In the fear of the Lord, she never retaliated. We have to hold on, knowing that God has promised to work everything out for our good and that includes the embarrassing and painful events of our lives (Romans 8:28).

We cannot turn away from Him and become those spoken of in 1 John 2:19 - They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. Christ died so each of us could accept and acknowledge His sacrifice and become bona-fide children of God forever. Children who give Him complete respect at all times and not just when things are going well for us.

This is not to say we will not struggle in our wilderness seasons. Anyone who has been through a period of suffering knows how difficult it can be. Nevertheless, the Lord will help us to go past our mere human capacity by reassuring us and strengthening our faith in those seasons. All while affording Him the respect He deserves even as we lay our fears and worries at His feet. May we never squander the great privilege we have received. May we keep our eyes on God in the good and the bad times, knowing He will never forget us and will never forsake us. May we always give Him the complete respect He deserves, IJMN Amen.

Come back at Noon EST to join the rest of us for today's fellowship. God bless you as you do.