Living To Honour Others Rather Than Demanding Our Rights
Thursday September 10, 2015
How do we honour people who have let us down or even rejected us? God, who has loved us through the ugliness of our lives in addiction, now wants to pour that patient love through us to others, including those who have hurt or disappointed us. Jesus reflected His Father’s character when He went about doing good and healing everyone, even those who were under the power of the evil one. Are we willing to do the same?
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation. How blessed the man you train, God, the woman you instruct in your Word, Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil, while a jail is being built for the wicked. God will never walk away from his people, never desert his precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right.” (Psalm 91:14-16 NLT, Psalm 94:12-15 MSG)
Before we surrendered our lives to God, we likely retaliated in anger and caused strife when we were not treated with the respect we thought we deserved. We may have reacted by “setting the person or persons aright”, regarding the honour they should have given us. Now that we have turned our will and our life over to God, how are we meant to respond in these kinds of situations?
As strange as it may seem, we first need to accept our identity as a masterpiece created in God’s image. We need to live rooted and established in our relationship with God, accepting the truth that we are children of God, valued and loved unconditionally. As we stand firm in this truth, we can then love, honour, and unreservedly value others, even those who are not acting honourably towards us at this time.
If we desire that others honour us, we should be prepared to honour them with the same honour that we expect to receive from them. We also need to ask ourselves if we are prepared to give up our perceived rights and honour others above ourselves.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35 NLT)
Only God can enable us to be an honourable person whose life honours God and others.
©2015 Partners in Hope
More information on this and other related topics @ www.partnersinhope.ca/resources
Audio for Living To Honour Others Rather Than Demanding Our Rights
Recent Meditations
Giving Hope
Partners in Hope is supported wholly by our friends and community. We are thankful to everyone who partners with us to help bring hope to the discouraged, hurting, and hopeless.