R-E-S-P-E-C-T                                                                              05-02-14

Galatians 5:1 (NASB) ¹  It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
 
Ahhhh...yes the old Aretha Franklin classic.

Respect- According to Merriam-Webster the verb respect means to "consider worthy of high regard, to consider or to appreciate.

In the above verse the Apostle Paul is speaking to spiritual freedom. He was exhorting the Galatians to not return to Judaism, but I want to look at the last part of that verse from a different bent. Here's a look.

".....do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."

I saw a post on Facebook this week that went something like this " Quit crossing oceans for people who won't jump a puddle for you."  I was reminded of something I heard a while back. I can't remember who said it, I think maybe T.D. Jakes. Here's the gist of what he said. 'If there are people in your life who don't respect you, let them go.' He then went on to expound on what respect was not. Things like a lack of regard for your opinions, insensitivity, mockery and so on and so forth. A general disregard for who you are and what you are or do. After a lengthy discourse of these various characteristics he summed it all up with three words. LET THEM GO! I was thinking about all this and I came across this verse..well, actually the last part of it. The yoke of slavery part. A very basic meaning of slave or slavery is "to bind." A slave gives him or herself over to the will of another BECAUSE they have been bound. Scripture teaches that we are to be slaves to one and one only, the Lord Jesus. No other. But, we humans are frail creatures aren't we. We don't normally handle rejection too well do we?  So when, for whatever reason, we are rejected, we many times look inward and question ourselves."What did I do wrong?" or better yet" What can I do to fix it?" And we set about to appease or pacify those that reject us. And most of the time when it has reached that point there isn't any fix. Comprende?  If we aren't careful we can bind ourselves and become slaves to their whims and opinions in a futile attempt to secure their acceptance. We allow ourselves to be yoked with a yoke of slavery. It's one thing to go the extra mile with or for someone; but, it's an entirely different matter to be tied to a whipping post.

 That being said, the Lord Jesus commands us to love one another.

 John 15:12 (NASB) ¹²  "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

John 15:17 (NASB) ¹⁷  "This I command you, that you love one another.
With that in the forefront we don't strike back or falsely accuse. We need not justify our perceived slighting to others in a public fashion....just let them go. God loves all His children, not just us and our circle. You gettin' my drift. Listen, I am not a pastor. My messages do not spring from a pastor's perspective. Neither are they motivated from a call to provide you with Godly advice on how to live your life. That's not why I write these blogs. But, this laid on my heart this week, so I wrote about it.
Brothers and sisters God doesn't want us in slavery to anything or anyone except Him and His will. As He has told me recently on more than one occasion," I've got your back." That's my back, that's your back, that's all that call on the name of the Lord Jesus.' He's got us. We need not enslave ourselves to anyone or anything.

Romans 8:31-33 (NASB) ³¹  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
³²  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
³³  Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;

Psalm 3:3 (NASB) ³  But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.



God Bless