In our world today we have a crisis of respect for others. You might think it began in recent generations but it’s as old as the Bible itself. As I’m preparing a lesson on the Holiness of God, some truths struck me right between the eyes.
As I mentioned this crisis of respect began a long time ago. To those of us who believe the Bible, it began in the Garden of Eden when both Adam and Eve lost respect for God’s word to them to not eat of only one tree. As you follow the Biblical account you see this pattern repeated with humans again and again.
Now we catch up to the history of Israel where they demand from the prophet Samuel that they must have a king. Some of the saddest verses in the Bible are written in 1 Samuel 8: 6-8:
“When they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us,’ Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord told him, ‘Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you, they have rejected Me as their King. They are doing the same thing to you they have done to Me since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods.’ “
These words of God to Samuel cut me to the core. I must look no further than my own life to see how I have rejected God as King over my life in many ways. It’s easier to look at others first but we must examine ourselves to see how we have contributed to this crisis of respect.
Our world has lost all respect for any in authority. Yes, even we Christians, have sadly led the way in some of this. It began with lack of respect for God, parental authority, spiritual authority, governmental authority and continues today with the chaos we see in our world.
We, including me, have lost sight of the Holiness of God. This has led to us not being able to see God for who He truly is. True believers in the Lord Jesus Christ want to see Him in their lives. We sing about it all the time. “Open the eyes of my heart Lord… I want to see You”. In another old hymn “Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth Thou has for me”. Do you want the truth? The truth is we can’t handle the truth many times. Jesus told us how to “see” God. “Blessed are the Pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5: 8). The writer of Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue…holiness- without it no one will see the Lord.”
It boils down to this. It starts with me O Lord. I’m the one standing in the need of prayer. I’m the one whose sins put You on the cross. “Search me oh God and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
To that I say, AMEN!

Amy Patterson
Guest Author