[Biblemat] A) RESPECT

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Monday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article that recently came my way:

RESPECT

     We live in an age that shows little respect for those in auth-
ority.  Students mock their teachers, cartoonists lampoon  presidents, 
law-breakers sneer and laugh at the police, child-
ren ridicule their parents and some brethren manifest a lack
of reverence for Bible preaching.  All of those things violate
Scriptures!  The Bible shows clearly the need for standing in
awe of God, "Stand in awe, and sin not...My heart standeth in
awe of Thy Words.  I rejoice at Thy Word, As one that findeth
great spoil" (Psa. 4:4; 119:161,162).

     God warns us, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah...suffering
the punishment of eternal fire.  Yet in like manner these also
in their dreamings defule the flesh, and set at nought domin-
ion, and rail at dignities" (Jd. 7,8).  The youth rebellion that
produced anarchy on college campuses resulted in the bomb-
ing of government buildings and murdering rampages such
as that of the Manson gang.  I read a book recently, written
by on of those vigilantes, that described the killing of innocen-t people to 
display their hatred of society and their desire to 
be aloof from "the structured world" about them.

     When men lose regard for God's moral standards, they for-
get humane treatment of their fellows and wallow in the mire
of sadistic behavior.  The Old Testament prophets had a lot
to say about proper attitudes and actions toward others.  Micah put it well, 
"What doth Jehovah require of thee, but to 
do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy
God?" (Mic. 6:8).  Those principles are precisely what Jesus
inculcated into the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5,6,7).  Today
we truly need more respect for the following:

Respect For God's Word: -- A failure to study the Bible is a 
sure sign that we do not regard things divine and holy as we
should.  Brethren who prefer less Bible in sermons and more
stories, jokes, human philosophy and current events ought
to find an after-dinner speaker from the Rotary Club!  Are we
ashamed of God's Will and enamored by secular reasoning?
Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel" (Rom. 1:16).
Souls are being lost due to a "famine in the land, a famine of
hearing the Word of Jehovah" (Amos 8:11).

Respect For Godly Living: -- A lack of Scripture in our lives is
evinced by a failure to live like the Bible demands.  To abstain
from fleshly lusts is the clarion call of 1 Pet 2:11, and the passages before 
and after that powerful verse tell us to de-
sire "the sincere milk of the Word" and then to live it before
our family and friends.  James challenges us: "Wherefore put-
ting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness 
the implanted Word, which is able to
save your souls" (Jas. 1:21).

Respect For God's Cause: -- If Christ cared enough for the 
church to die for it, we should display a loyalty that knows no
boundary (Acts 20:28).  The value of lost souls should be con-
stantly in our hearts as we lovingly show respect for the gos-
pel and the awesome nature of the final Judgment.  Very few
people today seem to truly put God's kingdom first, as we
allow the busy pace of secularism to overwhelm our budget
of time, money and energy.  Many churches spend more time
and money on sporting events and musical concerts than they do on Bible 
study, soul-winning and spiritual edification.
Satan is shrewd and the flesh is weak!

Respect For God's Son: -- It should be natural for sinful men
to adore the Christ who left the beauty of heaven to come to
this earth and to die at Calvary for poverty-stricken sinners
(2 Cor. 8:9).  Sadly, we tend to forget the suffering the Savior
endured as "He bore our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Pet.
2:24).  Respect for our Redeemer should produce within us
the gratitude expressed in 2 Cor. 9:15, "Thanks be to God for
His unspeakable gift."

     Reverence, devotion, appreciation and love for these things will make us 
better people (Psa. 116:12).  Out of a heart of adoration for matters sublime 
and divine, let us deter-
mine that we shall never forsake the Lord and His heavenly
cause.  As a great hymn states:  Out of the ivory palaces, Into 
a world of woe, Only His great eternal love Made my Savior
go.

     With reverence, respect and zeal let us serve God more
ardently than we ever have before.  Show some respect!
         -----------  Johnny Ramsey in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 56, No. 13, Mar. 
30, 2007.   </HTML>
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