Our God is the God of love.

He is the God of forgiveness.

He is the God of grace, and mercy, and restoration.

He is also the God of Respect … and Honor.

The traditions of Jesus’ time called for men to be kicked out of the temple and SLAPPED across the face by all the members should they defame God, or things He stood for, or His people.

When Jesus stood up to those men, He told them that He would give them both cheeks to slap.  He was not excusing them from their culture of Respect and Honor — He was “one-upping” it.  Our God will hold up the standard of Respect and Honor.

Not men.

Let us not forget these things—or be discouraged.

Psalm 16  

1 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.  

2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 

3 As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.  

4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.  I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.  

5 Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.  

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.  

7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

We, as believers, are not to be discouraged.  We are not to conform.  We are called to LEAD—young and old alike.  We are called to stand up to sin and to respect our God with our actions.  We are called to act a certain way—to respect, to show honor to others, to not act in immaturity or mockery.  We are called to stand up for Jesus, not because He has called us to defend Him, but because we are to “confess His Name” in public.  Colossians 2:15 says that Jesus disarmed His enemies and made a public spectacle of them.  He plays no games—and when the door gets shut—will it be opened again?  I don’t know.  As the song in this blog confesses, Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can open our door to the other side.  He is the ONLY ONE.  As Jesus said in the gospels OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN — He is the ONLY WAY.  THE ONLY WAY!  And He is not to be mocked, or disregarded, or disrespected.  He is OUR ONLY HOPE.

God promises (see above in Psalm 16) that when we make Him first, He will:

  • Counsel us at night
  • Give us an inheritance
  • Protect us—and our possessions

Rest in your commitment to God Almighty.

Repent of your shortcomings.

Declare Him Lord of your life.

It is in these things … that Jesus gives us life.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J