Key Verse: Verse 7 – "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
Key Words: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?
Respect is something most everyone wants and very few get, but I believe the Bible lays down some basic principles by which respect comes. Please note them with me.
First, we must do right. (Genesis 4:4; see also Galatians 6:7)
Secondly, we must be right. (Genesis 4:5a)
Thirdly, we must act right. (No one will ever respect childish actions from an adult.) (Genesis 4:5b)
Fourthly, we must live right. (Genesis 4:6-7)
Last of all, we must respect others. (Genesis 4:8-10)
If you want to be respected, these things must be in place in your life.
Every Christian says, “Not my will, but thine be done, O Lord.” But do we mean it? In Christianity it is so vital that each of us be respected. Israel would have never listened to Joshua had they not respected him. The church at Philippi would have never listened to Paul had they not respected him. The house of Cornelius would have never listened to Peter if they hadn’t respected him.
Today, dear friend, will you commit yourself by God’s grace to work at being respected by others? You may wonder, how do I gain this respect?
A man once parked his car on a street. Up came a boy and looked it over. His eyes were wide with admiration of the beautiful car. “Where did you get this car?” he asked. “My brother gave it to me,” replied the man. “My, I wish…” The man knew the boy was wishing that he had a car like that; but the lad went on and finished the sentence surprisingly. “I wish I could be a brother like yours. I have a crippled brother that I would like to get a car for.” How do you gain respect? Think more of others than you do yourself.
What to do:
✞ Apply the five Biblical principles listed above.
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