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If you choose to repent of your sin and live a life of integrity, people have no choice but to respect you. Enjoy it.
Well Jesus told us we would be hated if we live for Him, and Paul said if we live godly- we will be persecuted. We don't look for it or push it, but some will enjoy us, and some with loathe us for being a light shining in their darkness.
If you live a righteous life, people have no choice but to respect you. That doesn't mean they'll like you.
Well I know of many believers who have suffered terribly for living a righteous life and not being respected by the world. My dear brother, we are now living in anti-Christian America and it will only get worse. We will soon suffer as our Master did and not have respect at all from teh world or the religious crowd. We will be a threat to them.
I don't see how you can not respect a righteous person. That doesn't mean you'll like them. That doesn't mean a righteous person doesn't suffer.
Yes we should walk with the Lord, yes our final destination is safe, but glory in ourselves!
The Pharisees did not respect Jesus, or the Apostles,. Once again, some of our enemies will respect us, and some will not.
How can you help but feel proud of yourself if you make the effort to stop sinning?
“23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. ”
You may think what you wish, but by all accounts- if you show the attitude of the pharisees towards Jesus to 100 random people, I don't think you would get 2 who would say they respected HIm. Not the way they denigrated and stalked and insulted and abused and eventuially killed Him. You don't do that to someone you respect.
There are certain axioms: One plus one equals two. Gravity exists. People respect the righteous man, even if they don't like him.
I think only righteous people respect righteousness in others. Sinners however will treat three righteous with a variety of emotions; some maybe with a begrudging respect, others perhaps with admiration, while others, like the pharisees, will treat the righteous because the behaviour and character of the righteous shows up their own evil and hypocrisy. The Pharisees despised Jesus because everything He did, said, and taught, exposed them as charlatans and selfish power-hungry hypocritical evil haters of God. Some of them knew who Jesus was, believed in His claims of divinity, knew He had done nothing wrong, but crucified Him anyway because they thought Him a threat to their cushy position with Rome.
Here is the definition of respect:
