Bible Study July 28, 2023
Romans 13:7 (ESV)
“Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”
Respect, a word we can easily misinterpret. Many think they are owed respect when in fact respect is earned.
Respect isn’t a right that is owed us, it is not something we are entitled to and we cannot gain respect by demanding people respect us. Respect is earned based on our character. It is also earned by giving it to others. If we want to be respected we must show ourselves to be worthy not by who we are, our status, or our accomplishments. But by our integrity, our being honest, and by being responsible. Someone once said if you something then give it away – this reference was to love but it works in all areas of life.
Too often we think we are owed something when in all cases we should have earned it by our character. Living in the St. Lous area the Cardinals have a player who has gained respect for who he is and what he stands for. His name is Adam Wainwright. Second only to Bob Gibson in Cardinal wins as a pitcher.
His accomplishments on the field are one thing but his off-the-field accomplishments are equally remarkable. He is the founder of Big-League Impact, a fantasy football network that is designed to raise money for charities he founded with two other former players.
In the offseason, Wainwright resides in his home state of Georgia with his wife and five children. The Wainwrights have four natural-born daughters, and they adopted their son, Caleb, in 2019. He and his wife Jenny are devout Christians, and spoke about the prospect of adopting a child who did not have a home of their own, before finally deciding to do so when they welcomed the cherubic sweetheart into the family.
Character is who we are but first and foremost before we become respected we must show respect. There may be many ways to become respected but to Wainwright he talks of his faith and practices it – the test of being genuine.
God Bless
Asbury Chapel 