Day 16 - March 4
Sara Sheppard
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WTS MDiv 2012; WTS Associate Director, Doctor of Ministry and Managing Director Course of Study |
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RESPECT
Lord Show the Way: Love and Respect
~ Psalm 1 and Luke 16:19-31
How is it that we as a people have come to care so little about our fellow human beings?
Even as the Lord has commanded, honor thy father and mother; do unto others as you would have done to you; love your neighbor as yourself. We’ve grown up with the stories of the Good Samaritan, welcoming the stranger, and searching for and finding the one lost sheep. In all of these stories we hear the voice of God encouraging us to respect each other and in so doing we will find our reward in heaven. Psalm 1 sends up a petition to God, “cleanse our hearts from sin, keep our hands pure, and turn our minds from what is passing away; so that at last we may stand in your holy place and receive your blessing.”
God is calling us to live a life of love. Love for each other, for ourselves, and for the earth. With love comes respect. How different would the story of Lazarus and the rich man been had the rich man treated Lazarus with respect? If the rich man had not turned his back on Lazarus and instead cared for him with love, would they both have received favor and been blessed by God? How will you treat the stranger, your neighbor, your friends, the earth? I pray the answer is with respect and with love.
