OCTOBER 21 "HOW 'BOUT A LITTLE RESPECT!"

This is only proof to me, for what I've often thought was the case; and that is, often we don’t offer the same common courtesies to one another, that we often offer to those whom we are not even that close with.  Why is that? Is it because we take each other for granted? What Paul is saying almost doesn't make sense, “if the masters are believers that is no excuse for being disrespectful….they should work “all the harder” because their masters are believers” I definitely would agree with that. How about you? Why is it that sometimes are poorest performance is what we do for one another or what we do for the church. Often someone has to come in behind the previous person and re-do what that person did because it was done with such a poor effort. We are short with each other, rude and inconsiderate. Paul notices this, he realizes that sometimes the fact that we are dealing with another Christian will not bring the best out of us, but the worse. If we were dealing with a sinner or somebody “outside the church” we would do our best to make sure we behaved, kept a smile on our face and made sure we behaved the way we know we should be, as a Christian, lest that person call us out. However when we are simply around family, when we are just around the same people we see every Sunday, we tend to just be lax and unrestrained in our behavior. This catches Paul’s eyes and he says it should be the opposite. If anything, when we are dealing with each other, as fellow believers we should be even more respectful towards one another, we should try even harder to please one another, not less! Basically what Paul is saying, “is things are totally backwards here!”  We treat people of the world better than we treat those in our own house; both our house at home and the house of God. One son told his father, “dad I wish I was a sinner”.  His father answered, “son, why in the world would you say something like that!”  His son replied, “because you’ll do anything for a sinner, but not for me!”  And how true that is! The bible clearly states that we, “of the House of God” ought to give each other preferential treatment. Yes we need to be there for the world, but even before that, we need to be there for each other, above all else. People miss the days when they first came in to the church because that’s when they felt loved. People say the only time anyone ever calls is when they stop coming to church and then it’s too late. The truth is, we do take each other for granted and we do often treat the ones closest to us, the worse. Paul warns us, God is warning us, “don’t’ think you can just “be you”, let you guard down and disrespect someone, just because they are a Christian. Paul says, if anything, you should be even more respectful and make that much more of an effort, because they are a fellow believer.