R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

“Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” 1 Peter 2:17

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect. Along with Aretha, we all want it and we ought to give it – to everyone. But how? What does respect look like in our every day? Peter must have known those reading his letter might wonder at his words, so he shared some specifics.

Three to be exact. “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” Love other Christians. Fear the Lord. Honor the king. Sound simple? Not always.

“Love the brotherhood of believers…” Love your Christian family. All of them? We often struggle loving our blood relatives and now God wants us to add our “born-again kin”!Sometimes some people are just hard to like. Maybe that’s why God says “love.” The word used is agape – it’s not an affection based on feelings. It’s based on action – unselfishly putting someone else before yourself. That’s respect.

“Fear God…” Don’t be afraid. But be in awe. Serious awe. We can’t fathom God’s perfection. We can’t grasp His holiness. He is far beyond us and way bigger than us. He created all we see by simply speaking, and He holds everything together simply by desire. Reverence for who God is helps us realize who we are and who we aren’t. God not only demands our respect; He deserves it.

“Honor the king.” God rules over all, but He sets earthly authorities in place according to His plans and purpose. Our responsibility is to honor, or properly respect, the ones in charge. Even the ones we don’t like. Don’t balk. We have no room to fuss. Peter wrote, “Honor the king,” when Nero was the Caesar. Nero was not nice – at all. He murdered his mother, killed his first wife so he could marry someone else, but later murdered her also. To divert suspicion away from himself after the fire of Rome, he accused the Christians of arson, conducted mass arrests, and among other tortures, burned his victims alive in public. In spite of who Nero was, Peter knew God is best glorified when Christians are respectful and good citizens.

By the way, the verse tense used in this verse indicates that we should constantly maintain a respectful attitude. Respect is not a one-time choice. It’s a continual commitment.

Continually love your Christian family.
Continually look up to God.
Continually lift up your leaders.

Instead of looking for respect from others, try giving respect to others.
The outcome might surprise you.

Time for a Little R&R

REFLECT
Respect is an action based on an attitude. What does respect look like in your life?

RESPOND
Phone a Christian brother or sister and pass along encouragement.
Praise God for who He is as your Creator and Savior.
Pray for our President.