Five Minute Friday: "Respect."

Acts 10:34-35 (NIV) - "God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

Acts 10:34-35 (MSG) - "God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open."

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What is true respect?  Unlike humans, God does not base His love on socioeconomics, gender, ethnicity, political party, or anything else so trivial.  He loves all whether all love Him and bases it on the blood of Christ shed for all (1 John 4:19, John 3:16,  Romans 2:4).

I know that the world is not capable of unconditional love and true mercy, but what is most hurtful is to see professing Christians act like they aren't capable of it either.  We who claim Christ should be fully equipped to show the unconditional love and mercy of God to all who are hurting.

And who isn't hurting?

Don't let people's facades of success and independence fool you.  Their hurts are well-hidden behind fake smiles, the fog of substances, locked doors, gated communities, or Pinterest pages.

We.  All.  Hurt.

How do we break through the hurt?  Not by arguments, vitriol, separatism, violence, or insults.  We break through the hurts by respecting people as God's hurting children, throwing out the world's divisive idea of respect, and sharing the goodness of God with all.

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