Respect is something that personally I believe we (as a nation) have utterly failed to pass on to succeeding generations. It is difficult to find in schools and in the workplace. Respect is something that touches every aspect of our lives. Failure to teach our children the proper respect is a gross infraction of our duties.
In order to teach something, it is a great benefit to both the student and the teacher to define the thing being taught. I will begin this next series of lessons by defining respect.
Dictionary.com defines respect as:
-to hold in esteem or honor: I cannot respect a cheat.
-to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone's rights.
-to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with: to respect a person's privacy.
So, respect basically is how we treat each other and each other's things. But what does the Bible say about this subject? A lot actually. Here are a few verses on how we should treat each other:
""So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."" (Matthew 7:12)
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:10)
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." (Romans 12:16)
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-4)
"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3)
In these lessons on respect, we will look at what or whom we need to respect and what or whom we should teach our children to respect. We will also look at how we should respect those that we should respect. We are the example in our children's lives and if we don't show the proper attitude, then our children will not learn from our example.