1 Peter 2:17 – Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.
Respect is something everyone wants from others. We expect to be respected by those we work with, the family we live with, and those we come in contact with everyday. It encourages us to build relationships, gain the capacity to trust others, and go about our business confidently.
Respect for each other is a vital component to the Army’s core values. Respect creates a level of camaraderie needed to rely and trust in each other during combat or in training. Soldiers become more diligent when going about their daily responsibilities and it encourages them to remain loyal to their own unit.
Without respect, however, hinders good morale, and starts to deteriorate the cohesion of a team. Trust in each other is harder to achieve, and no one wants to be around those who are disrespectful. In a fighting force on the battlefield, this can prove to be disastrous.
In Christianity, respect for others should also be part of our character. When Christ was put on trial for crimes He did not commit, he showed Pontius Pilate respect when he was confronted. He showed all of us great respect and compassion when He said, “forgive them for they know not what they do.”
We must be respectful of each other in our Christian journey. Everyone is at a different place in their walk with Christ, and we must be respectful and compassionate. We should also respect those who do not know Christ, because it may be the one thing that reveals to them the true nature of God.