If I am being totally honest, I hate to watch or read the news. It is not that some things in the news do not interest me, they really do. In fact, I care greatly about so many things that are happening all around us every day. The problem I have with watching or reading the news is that sometimes it is just too depressing. So many times when I turn the news on or read an article online, all I am reminded of is how evil mankind can be. If you have been watching the news recently I know you have seen several examples of the evil that has filled this world. While there are several things needed for mankind to get back on track and to be pleasing to God, there is one word I want us to focus on today: respect.
So many people in the world today struggle with respect. Many do not seem to even know what the word means and others act as if they do not even care. Many do not respect themselves, others, life, or even God. The lack of respect shown by so many and the respect not given to so many is astounding. This lack of respect perpetuates a cycle of rudeness, low self-worth, hatred, entitlement, sin, and death. Because so many people do not respect themselves, many find themselves wrapped up in sin and depression. Others make decisions that lead to their own death and even the death of others. Out of our lack of respect for ourselves, others, life, and God, many follow the delusional way of thinking that leads us to believe that our troubles and decisions only impact ourselves, and that is just not true. When we do not respect the life that God has given us, we not only affect our own lives but we also greatly impact the lives of every person around us. Take for instance a drunk driver. Not only does the drunk driver not respect his own life by getting drunk, but he also does not respect the life of anybody else that he may come in contact with when he gets behind the wheel of an automobile. Respect is obviously a major problem in the world today.
Recently I saw a news report that led me to write this article. The news report was in regards to abortion to full term babies. I want to make this perfectly clear: abortion is wrong. It does not matter how many days or weeks the child has been in the womb. It is murder. It is hard to believe that we live in a society that thinks so little about life to the point that many believe it is acceptable to kill innocent children. My heart aches every time I even think about one life being lost. As a father, my thoughts go immediately to my own children. My daughter Emma was born at thirty-eight weeks. Some would say that in the moments just before her birth that her life had no value. My son Joshua was born at thirty-seven weeks. Again some would also agree that in the moments just before his birth he also had no value. My wife Hannah is twenty-four weeks pregnant with our third child. There is not a person on this earth that can convince me that my children do not have worth. They are alive, they have worth, and they are dearly loved.
One of the many things this world needs in order to get back on trac and to be pleasing to God is respect. In Ecclesiastes 12:13, we read that as mankind we are to fear God and keep His commandments. We are to have fear and respect for God as our Creator and as the Provider of salvation to all that will obey (Genesis 1:1, John 3:16). This kind of respect toward God is to be accompanied by love, which leads us to do His will (John 14:15). In keeping the will of God, we see that we are to love those around us and treat them as we would want to be treated (Matthew 22:37-39). We are to love and respect all of mankind, even our enemies (Matthew 5:44). As we show respect to God and all of mankind, we are to be people that see the value in every life, in every soul. We have been called by God to go into the lost and dying world to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). As we continue to live for Him, may we always be people of great