Revising The Three R's - Part 1: RESPECT

There was a time when the emphasis on instruction was a focus on teaching the three R’s:  Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.  At our point in history those three R’s have now changed but we need to get back to stressing their importance. The Three R’s that need to be emphasized:

RESPECT – RESPONSIBILITY – REVERENCE

Do these three exist in our world today?  What are they and why are they of any importance?

RESPECT

What is Respect?

Society puts high importance on Academia, so let’s see what their definition of the word is.  Two well established dictionaries define the word as follows.

From Merriam-Webster dictionary:

“An act of giving particular attention: CONSIDERATION”

“To consider worthy of high regard: ESTEEM”

From Oxford dictionary:

“A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or

achievements.”

“Due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others”

Those definitions are great stand alone statements which do not appear to bring up any issues in themselves.  With that reasoning, then there should be no issue with the single word that those statements define.   Somewhere along with the passage of time, the definition has come to be broaden to include some other words: desires, wishes, sin and immorality.

Just because respect can be defined as “regards for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others”. Does that mean that all morality and sense of correctness is tossed aside? Items that are detrimental to the life, safety and well-being do not need to be allowed in order to provide respect.  Decline in morality today stems from the huge importance placed decades ago on defending “the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others”.  Tolerance and Deference have both been misrepresented in attempts to provide respect.

Tolerance

Respect is often tied to the word tolerance.  Society screams for tolerance for opposing view points and ideas.  In order to provide for tolerance, society has made an allowance for blatant sinful living. When tolerance allows items that affect others in a manner that is unnatural to the laws of God; it has become a shield for making sin permissible when needed in order to respect the “…feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.”

On the subject of respect; tolerance does not dictate an allowance for disrespect being shown to people or things that should automatically receive that respect.  There are many examples of this, but let’s deal with a simple example that is far too common today.  That is respect or the lack of it being shown to the flag of a country.

By definition a flag is a representation or symbol for a country.  Regardless of personal beliefs or political opinions; as a citizen of a country RESPECT is owed to the flag.  It is a symbol to represent the country.  Lives are lost fighting to defend it.  There is also a REVERANCE when offering RESPECT to the flag.  The “awe” of what has taken place to enable its citizens to stand there in FREEDOM to view that flag.  The prices paid in life and liberty does not give an allowance for disrespect.

In many cultures that disrespect could lead to the loss of liberty and even life. Disrespect for a flag gives the appearance (intended or not) of disrespect for what that flag represents and the millions who have died to defend it.  To not salute is an act of childish rebellion and is no different than a child telling a parent they refuse to do something.

This is but a small example to illustrate how tolerance has destroyed respect.  With more respect being shown there becomes less dependence upon tolerance.

Deference - Respect for others

Deference is a huge portion of Respect.  Deferring to others in an attitude of humbleness that places the other person FIRST IN EVERYTHING regardless of how it may inconvenience you or interfere with what you are doing at that very specific moment.  It is the act of placing that individual in highest esteem regardless.  Esteem others higher than yourself.  If there is a question, the other person always comes first in every action or reaction during the course of the day.

This can be seen in the simple illustration of the act of opening a door for someone.  Regardless of the individual’s sex, age or gender there is a statement being made.  The other person SHOULD be BEFORE me.  I will step to the side in humility and let them proceed uninterrupted in their busy day.  Allowing someone to go ahead of you in a waiting line creates the same effect.  By doing this, the other individual is being elevated to show how important they are.  Not doing so shows an indication of how little others are esteemed and in how high regard we hold our self above the other person.

There are examples every day.  Watch vehicle drivers cutting one another off in traffic instead of practicing patience and waiting.  Pedestrians walking into the path of vehicle traffic without concern because they are busy on an electronic device.  The attitude being displayed is “traffic will stop for me, if not I’ll sue them”.  Where does the attitude originate?  It comes from a lack of respect for another individual.  Placing more importance upon ones self without any amount of humility. 

It is seldom, but we do see respect in some areas of society.   There is the quiet or hush that happens moments before an “important person” steps to a microphone.  Respect is often displayed from a crowd at a sacred monument or service. However, it has all but disappeared in other areas of life. Where has it gone? It belongs in all areas of daily life.  All interactions of the day that involve another human being demands and dictates RESPECT being shown to others.

What does God think of Respect?

Genesis 4:4-5 - God showed “respect” for Abel’s offering but not for Cain’s

Why did God have respect for Abel’s and not Cain’s?  Abel did what was due to the “God of Creation” and out of respect he gave his best in offering.  Cain instead offered second rate gifts as something he had to do.  He was wrong!  He would ultimately pay for that decision to disrespect the offering due to the Almighty!

Today, we do the same thing as Cain.  We do not offer our best.  We give second rate effort in everything.  We do not have any respect for the fact that God or any other individual deserves it simply because of who they are. Then our attitude even turns to one that expects to be protected from any results of our laziness and doing wrong.  We then; like Cain, will take our vengeance out on those that did what was correct or proper.

Romans 12:10 (NIV)  “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

(KJV) - “….in honor preferring one another.”

Philippians 2:3  “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

According to God, others are MORE IMPORTANT than ourselves!  So why do anything to promote self or personal agenda?   That would be the most foolish, self-centered, hypocritical, sinful thing to accomplish  while living on this planet.

1 Peter 2:13-17 says:

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.  Honour all men.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God. Honour the king.”

(continued on Part 2) (all verses King James unless noted)

Revising The Three R's - Part 2: RESPONSIBILITY

RESPONSIBILITY

This word is often defined in reference to responsibility as being something that is given to an individual.  As we can see with the examples of parents giving responsibility to children or an employer who gives additional responsibility to a subordinate. There is more to responsibility than that.  There must be a move to understand that responsibility must be taken upon oneself.

Definition:

Merriam-Webster defines responsibility as:  “The quality or state of being responsible: such as a moral, legal, or mental accountability.  RELIABILITY, TRUSTWORTHINESS”

Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as: “Good judgment and the ability to act correctly and make decisions on your own.”

Responsibility as we see it today

There are many examples in our world today of people not willing to take on responsibility for their actions. Look at the warning labels that companies must place on cleaning products to state that eating the product may cause harm.  There was the lawsuit against a restaurant chain for coffee being “too hot”. At some point, humans decided to throw out their responsibility for personal actions taken.  People began to believe that there was nothing to take responsibility for.  The consequences of actions taken could be left as the fault of others.  It got easier to hire a lawyer to sue than to acknowledge one’s own simple stupidity.

There was a small story in the news as this was being composed.  Public libraries in a particular U.S. state were set to begin removing fine penalties.  The change was to prevent offending low income individuals who do not pay the fines.  Instead of addressing the lack of responsibility to simply turn the books in.  There would be no need to be fined. There was more concern with offending someone in a particular society labeled economic class than there was to fine laziness.

Media takes the lead in emphasizing responsibility is not important. Often advertisements for credit card companies attempt to get more clients by promising customers: “Don’t feel guilty, it’s not your fault you are in debt….get our card”. It is an individual’s choice to keep purchasing on credit. If it is done then responsibility for that debt is that of the borrower. It is the borrower’s fault to be in debt!

Have things changed?

It may come as a surprise to many to see how often this topic is discussed in scripture.  Scripture has many examples of individuals attempting to shift responsibility for the actions they took and blame the guilt of those consequences on someone else.

The Blame Game Club started all the way back at the beginning after creation.  Here is a list of members of this club.

Adam blamed Eve and indirectly God for giving the woman to him - Genesis 3:12

Eve blamed the serpent for making her taste the fruit - Genesis 3:13

Sarah blames Abram for having a child with a handmaid that Sarah herself gave him – Genesis 16:5

Aaron blamed it on the entire Israelite people for HIS decision to build the idol - Exodus 32:22

Saul blamed the people for his own disobedience to following God’s directives – 1 Samuel 15:20

It does not end there.  Jump to the New Testament Gospels and find:

Pilate believed the simple act of washing his hands dissolved him of any responsibility in the death of “a just man”.  He found Jesus innocent but yet condemned Him!  The crowd on the other hand acknowledged that they were accepting the responsibility for his death!

Peter denied the Lord and did not accept responsibility of being a follower of Christ.  However, he later accepted the fact that he denied the Lord and accepted responsibility for doing so and took on himself leadership in the upper room.  In contrast, Judas could not accept responsibility for his deed and hung himself.

Responsibility Rewarded

The Bible deals with responsibility when it addresses the sin of man and man’s rewards for what he has done.

Proverbs 12:14 “The recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.”

Isaiah 3:11  “Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.”

Isaiah 5:15 “The mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled…”

Jeremiah 32:19  “…to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

Galatians 6:7 “...whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

1 Corinthians 3:8  “…every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labor.”

 A burden or a duty

Galatians 6:2-5  “Bear ye one anothers burdens….let every man prove his own work….every man shall bear his own burden.”

Contradiction? No, we are to go out of our way to help make the life of others easier, but while doing so, we need to be continually testing what we ourselves are doing.  Are we doing all we can do?  Are we doing the best we can so that we do not end in a position where we need to have help from someone else to carry our burden.

Jesus “shouldered” the burden of the cross.  He took on the responsibility of a death on Calvary for us.  If he could do that, what small thing is it for his children to take upon themselves responsibility for their actions?

(continued on Part 3)           (All scripture King James unless noted)

Revising The Three R's - Part 3: REVERENCE

 REVERENCE

Merriam-Webster definition of reverence

“honor or respect felt or shown : DEFERENCE.  especially : profound adoring awed respect”

“a gesture of respect (such as a bow)”

In the Old Testament the word used for “Reverence” is yârê (“yaw-ray”)

Meaning to fear, to revere, to frighten, put in fear, be made afraid

That word is used in Leviticus 19:30; 26:2.  The Israelites were told to “… keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary…”  Do we “reverence” the sanctuary? Each time the Israelites were instructed to keep the Sabbath, they were also told to reverence the sanctuary.

In many churches today it appears as though there is no respect or reverence placed upon entering the sanctuary of God’s house. Do we have a holy fear of entering the sanctuary unclean?  In our current day it is not uncommon to see all forms of day to day life taking place in the sanctuary of a church.  This even occurs during “Worship”.  If you are about to come face to face with the God of Creation would you have your hands filled with a phone or cup of coffee?  Would you be worried about the text message on your phone or whether you have had enough sips of coffee?  Then why do we do so, when we come before him to offer our “worship” and praise.  What a contradiction!  We are stating that he is not worthy enough for us to ignore that text or for us to be deprived of our correct amount of caffeine!

Psalm 89:7 states that “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him”

Are we awestruck in his presence? When we approach the throne of the Almighty God of the Universe and are given the OPPORTUNITY to Worship at his feet, why are we not totally overwhelmed at that privilege?  We are not deserving of that honor.  We have no rights to be there.  The Almighty can strike us dead for not presenting ourselves in a holy manner.  BUT HE CHOSE NOT TO!  Instead his son humbly died on that piece of tree for us! A tree he created! How do we dare to come before him with unclean hands that hold in them the things of this carnal world?   We need to drop it ALL at the doorstop before entering that sacred room that we call a church sanctuary.  A room we pathetic humans have defined as his domain.  As if we could “bottle-up” the presence of God into the confines of a “sanctuary”.

With such a little space being offered to the KING, he deserves the small price of giving it some “reverence”.

I am overwhelmed when I look at that in light of the Old Testament saints and how they revered God and others.  David was King over all of Israel.  He was due the respect of that title and position. In most parts of the world and history, failure to “bow” before a King dictated your immediate death.  However, we watch in Second Samuel 9:6 as King David “….fell on his face and did reverence”  to Mephibosheth!

David WAS KING! And yet he bowed and showed reverence to a lame son of his predecessor King Saul!

This is MORE than just respect being shown. The word used in this verse is: shâchâh  (“shaw-khaw”) meaning to “prostrate in homage to royalty or God”.  David had reverence and respect for Mephibosheth pure of heart and motive.  He gave to the man what was truly deserved and owed.

Scripture is full of acts of reverence. Abram fell on his face (prostrate) and God talked with him. (Genesis 17:3)  Moses while on the mountain was told to take off his shoes because the place (in God’s presence) where he was standing was Holy Ground. (Exodus 3:5)

Hebrews 12:28 “…serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

This is the Greek word: “aidos” meaning the idea of “downcast eyes”.  When used in reference to God it equals the word “awe” or when used in reference with man it translates to “bashfulness modesty”.  That is why in 1 Timothy 2:9 it gets translated as “shamefacedness” in regards to how women should dress.  Do we ever come before the Lord of Heaven with downcast eyes due to shame facedness or bashfulness?  That is rarely seen in the House of God.

 

The reason for such a lack of reverence can often be seen as a result of no Fear of God.  Why fear something that most will not acknowledge has any existence in their lives except for on Sunday mornings?

A “Fear of God“ leads to a state of reverence. The word “fear” as defined today, conjures up images of Hollywood or Amusement Park “Horror and Terror”.  That is not the fear we are discussing. This is a healthy fear of the awesome power of a God that created the universe.

God asks Job (Job 38) “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”  Are we bigger than he is?   Do we not tremble at the presence of a God who places the sand to control the seas? (Jeremiah 5:22)

Moses told the children of Israel after they witnessed the power of God in the Thunder and Lightening (Exodus 20:20)  “Fear not: For God has come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”  If we truly feared the Lord, the problem with sin should disappear from our lives.

Deuteronomy has plenty to say on fear:

4:10 “...I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”

5:29 “Oh that there was such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

10:12-13  Lists five things God requires:

            1) but to fear the Lord thy God

2) to walk in all his ways

3) and to love him

4) and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all they soul

5) to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes…

I wonder if all five items would be covered by practicing a little bit of “reverence” once in a while.

Then there is the passage in Psalms 89:7 that sums it up so clearly that there should be no argument of what God expects from us.

“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”  Psalms 89:7

If these verses were not enough, there are plenty more in the book.  Psalms 33:8; 34:7-11; 52:6; 67:7 115:11-13; 128:1.

Learning how to get or obtain a “correct type” of fear comes from Proverbs 2:1-6

1)       Receive HIS Words

2)       Hide his commandments within

3)       Incline your ears toward Wisdom

4)       Apply your heart to understanding

5)       Cry after knowledge

6)       Lift up your voice for understanding. Looking for it with the diligence that is used searching for treasure.

With all this done, how can anyone not have a fear and reverence for God?

1 Peter 2:13-17:

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness , but as the servants of God.  Honour all men.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God. Honour the king.”

How often are we using our “liberty” to do what is malicious? Where is the submission to every ordinance?  Submission is a DIRTY word today.  As a society we believe that if we have to “submit” to anyone then we must lower ourselves to a level “beneath our stature” and we cannot do that. It is an attitude that is WRONG and SINFUL if we desire to stand before a God that deserves and demands are fear and reverence.

Put RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, and REVERENCE back into practice.  When these begin to show up in individual lives and church congregations; expect to see monumental changes in the way people are affected.  Not only will there be more peace among parts of the body but suddenly the body will begin to grow again as it was intended to from the beginning.

  

(all scripture quotations King James Version unless noted)