We live in a world where anything goes. People do as they please whenever they please. There was a time when there was respect in our society; unfortunately, respect is a thing of the past. For many, there is no respect for anyone, not even their parents.
This lack of respect has even entered our places of worship. It’s common to see people behave in a manner that lacks respect in the house of worship. There needs to be reverence in the house of God. One definition describes reverence as honor and respect that is deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated. In other words, people should be able to identify our actions and determine if we honor and respect God.
Nehemiah 8:5 NLT says, “Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.” What happened here? These were the people who returned from exile in Babylon. There were issues about safety when they arrived because the city wall was in shambles. After they built the wall, the people wanted Ezra the scribe to read to them from the Book of the Law of Moses. In attendance were men, women, and children. When he opened the book, they all rose to their feet. He didn’t read for fifteen minutes and said Amen. They were there from morning till noon. They stood on their feet for the reading of God’s word.
After the reading, verse 6 says, “Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” We can see that they had deep honor and respect for God and their actions demonstrated that they reverenced Him. What do our actions say about us? I pray that others can see how deeply we honor and respect God by our actions.
Thought for Today: Friend, let us honor and respect our God.
Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory.
Victory Walk 