Each Day Already is a Challenge

Finally - Sermon notes

If you remember, I had a few posts going into Sunday about respect, and, lo and behold, that was the focus of the pastor's sermon.

I made lots of notes in the margins of my paper, and since it's been a bit longer than usual, I hope I can read them. Here goes...

At the beginning, the pastor gave a list of 10 things that bug people the most. I'm not sure where he got these. I didn't necessarily agree with them all. Or at least the order he placed them. And...since I don't take very good speedwriting anymore (I never did learn shorthand), I didn't get everything on the list.

Here are some:

10 - When a person calls you on the phone, and when you answer, asks, "Who's this?" Yes, that does bug me a bit. The question is, "WHO ARE YOU???"

9 - Email chain letters. Yes, that does bug me.

8 - People who honk their horns in traffic, when there is no where anyone can go. Hey, that one bugs me too. Maybe this is a good list.

7 - People who empty their car ash trays in parking lots (especially the church parking lot!). Yep, bugs me.

6 - People who don't use signals to turn. Okay, grrr.

5 - People who use cell phones while they drive. Yep.

4 - People who bring a truck load of groceries to the express line. Hmmm.

I missed #3 and #2.

1 - People (dads, mostly??) who encourage their kids to burp. Here the pastor showed a film clip of a dad and son in competition. Of course, the dad won.

Some of my more serious notes in the margins:

The Bible tells us to honor our mother and father. We don't have to honor their parenting skills, just the position of parents. The same applies to leadership - in the church and in the world. We don't have to honor the behaviors, just the positions. Good point.

Respect starts in the home.

We are not God. People are not accountable to us.

We cannot argue people into heaven.

We can disagree without being disagreeable.

We should honor with honesty. Our pastor suggested that if we were adults whose parents had horrible parenting skills, that it was okay to acknowledge to them that we loved them, but we didn't like certain aspects of our growing up years. He even suggested that if our parents were gone, that we should sit facing an empty chair (here he admitted that he's not a licensed psychologist) and talk to it as if our parent was sitting there. That we should express both our love and our displeasure - being honest - about our past with that parent. Only by releasing that displeasure or anger can we grow and mature.

On to the fill-in-the-blanks...


Continuing the series of Building Character

R - E - S - P - E - C - T

1 Peter 2:17 TLB
Show respect for everyone.

Everyone deserves respect because they and...

I am His creation.
Psalms 8:5 GW
You have made him a little lower than Yourself. You have crowned him with glory and honor.

I am His possession.
1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

I am His reflection.
1 John 4:7-8 TLB
Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God, and that they are getting to know him better. ...for God is love.

1 Corinthians 13:5 NCV
Love is not rude.

I will reap what I sow.
Galatians 6:7 NIV
A man reaps what he sows.

Practical Applications

When I'm speaking, I will be tactful not just truthful. We can make a point without making an enemy.
Proverbs 15:4 MSG
Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.

When I'm served, I will be understanding, not demanding. Our pastor suggested that when a restaurant server is having a bad day, as Christians we should give a bigger tip, not a smaller one. Hmmm.
Luke 6:31 NIV
Do to others as you would have them do to you.

When I disagree, I will be gentle, not judgmental.
Romans 14:12 NIV
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Good reminder, huh?

When I share my faith, I will respect and not reject.
1 Peter 3:15 NIV
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

When I am mistreated, I will return good for evil. Boy, that's where we need God with us, isn't it?
Romans 12:17, 21 NIV
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jeremiah 49:11 MSG
God says, "I'll take care of your orphans."

Psalms 27:10 NIV
Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

These last verses were included as the pastor reminded us that even if we didn't know our mothers or fathers, or if they were not the parents we would have chosen, God has been with us and continues to be with us. It was, after all, Mother's Day. The issue of whether or not we had good mothers was certainly on everyone's mind...