Shine Like Stars: Devotions From Time of GraceNäide

Speech That Shines: God's stars are respectful

Aretha Franklin got it right. "R-E-S-P-E-C-T". People are starved for respect. That craving leads young men to join gangs, pack weapons, and pick fights. That craving leads young women to obsess over beauty and peddle their bodies for attention.

Here is a better path toward self-respect: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought" (Romans 12:3). And another: "In humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).

Why is this so hard? It's because each of us struggles so much with self-hatred and depression that we can't give props to other people without seeming to make ourselves smaller by doing so. But listen to this: through our Savior Jesus, God now looks at us with affection, approval, and admiration. Let those waves of mercy and goodness wash over you. Then let them flow from you to bless other people.

The more you respect other people, the bigger you will get. Think I'm kidding? Shock people and try it.