Worthy of Respect
Words of Faith 4-28-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Timothy 2
[1] I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone‑‑ [2] for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

The other quality that Paul urged was holiness-- godliness and holiness. Sounds pretty boring, huh?
Paul didn't use the word commonly translated as holy or holiness-- hosios. He used a different word semnotace. Hosios means "consecrated or set apart." Hosios is genuinely something that only God can do for you and in you. You are made holy by the blood of Jesus and set apart for His work by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. If you try to make yourself hosios, you will surely fail miserably.
The word semnotace is different. It means something worthy of respect. It refers to something noble or of gravity. Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers might live a godly and holy life... worthy of respect, nobility, and gravity. This was the required standard for leaders and their families (1 Timothy 3:8, 11 and Titus 2:2).
Interestingly, Paul wrote to the Philippians that they should think in a particular way, including thoughts "worthy of respect" or noble. He used this very word-- Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things (Philippians 4:8).
Paul was undoubtedly not urging some feigned self-righteousness. But he did pray for something that we participate in our lifestyle. We live a life of holiness if we live in a manner worthy of respect, nobility, and gravity. These are choices we make. This is not something fake we put on the outside. These are decisions we make. These matters of integrity, small and large, reflect our character and the progress God is making in transforming our old selves into our new Life in Christ.
Now don't misunderstand. We are not called to be pleasers of men. We are called to please God alone. But we also need to exercise care so as not to bring disrespect to the Name of God. We need to be free in Christ, but we also need to make noble decisions rather than base ones. We are called to walk in freedom, yet we must also realize that our life has gravity-- weight. How we interact, react, dress, respond, and relate has an impact and shares a witness.
As you think over your decisions in the last day, week, month, or year, are they decisions worthy of respect? As you recall how you interact with people, are those interactions noble? As you think about how you are when you are alone, is your life worthy of respect? Are your words about people noble? Do your decisions honor the Lord and carry weight that makes an impact?
The holiness Paul was talking about has nothing to do with acting better than someone else. It has everything to do with realizing that we are about the Kingdom, which is much bigger than us. Doing the right thing is sometimes expensive, but it will always pay.

Father God, teach me the way of holiness. Build into me a holiness manifested in actions, thoughts, and motives that are cleansed and guided by You. Give me an awareness of the gravity of my actions and words. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.