Tag: Christian family

Respect

1 Timothy 5

Saturday, September 10, 2022

When I first moved to Louisiana I had experienced culture shock. The food was different, the accents were different, and even the weather was different. All around, it has been quite interesting. I think the thing that stood out to me the most is the amount of respect everyone gave each other. Especially if someone was older than you were. When I first went to church and was introduced to some of the kids there they all had to call me “Mr. Jesse” which was quite weird to me because I had not lived with a prefix my whole life, unless it was something formal. Likewise, the amount of Yes sirs and No sirs, and yes ma’ams and no ma’ams was alarming. The only time I said those things growing up was when I was in trouble. However down here it is considered just respectful. Paul, In the first verse of 1 TImothy chapter five reminds me of this culture. “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.” All of these things have to do with respect. Some people say “I’m not going to give respect unless I get respect.” However I would say Paul gives us good guidelines for this by saying Honor older men as fathers, and younger as brothers and women as mothers and sisters. This is how we should treat everyone, as if they were family. It can be difficult sometimes, families can be tricky.

-Jesse Allen

Application Questions

  1. Who has been a good example to you of showing respect to others? How do you think they do it?
  2. When do you have a hard time showing respect? What can you do to improve in this area?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

Building Others Up

1 Thess 5 11

1 Thessalonians 5:11

We are social beings. We were created by God to interact both with other humans and God himself. It doesn’t matter if you believe in God or not we need each other to keep living healthy stable lives.

 But in the Church, the most important part of interacting with one another is that we are able to build each other up. Being a part of the church does not mean you passively sit in a pew or chair 1 or 2 days a week waiting for the preacher to tell you how to live your life. It means building relationships and getting to know each other and helping with each person’s needs.
I know if I did not have my friends and family and other church members that I would be lost. I wouldn’t be as successful or as well taken care of as I am today. I am so grateful for the people in my life who have taken the time to get to know me and to share life with me. But it hasn’t always been the same people.
This Sunday, don’t just sit next to the same people you always sit with. Try to move around and change it up. Get to know new people and ask what they need help with, maybe even pray WITH them. Just go and be social with your Christian Family.
-Jesse Allen