Objective-in-Jesus: Respect
By Jon Walker
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIV)
*** *** *** ***
Respect means we see one another through our Father’s eyes; as eternal beings, chosen by God “for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him;” as “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (1 Peter 2:9 MSG; Romans 8:17 NIV).
Our objective-in-Jesus is to consistently remember we’ll be sharing heaven with those in our small groups and congregations, even those we have difficulty respecting now. And God, in his wisdom, “put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity” (1 Corinthians 12:24 NLT).
We often miss this, but one of the simplest ways to show respect is to listen. We offer our presence and open our ears, listening to the hidden hurts and heartaches, the deepest dreams and desires of one another.
The truth is the God of the universe listens to our prayers, which does serious damage to any argument that we’re too busy. Busier than God?
Jesus listened to those around him and he listens to us, which destroys any argument that our mission is too important to listen. Or, is our mission, or even our daily tasks, more important than Jesus?
Our objective-in-Jesus is to respect others enough to let them get the whole story out before we rush in to give an answer, or jump in to fix things, or just plain react to what we think instead of what is true (1 Corinthians 1:10).
You don’t have to agree with what they say; that’s another matter, but unless you hear them out, you won’t even know what they mean. You show others respect, not because of who they are, but because of who they belong to – the same One who created you.
If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.
