Refreshing Authority

Sometimes as an authority figure you can be burdened by those that you are leading.  The problems begin to overweigh all of the good things.  Sit down with your children or students & make a list of authority figures that you have over all of you. In my case I would choose my administrator, pastor, principal & husband.

Find out their favorite drink.  Is it coffee? diet coke? iced tea? lemonade? water?  You can even use those water packet flavors if you want!  Then they have a couple to pick from.  Check out these cool links for some ideas on how to make your card & packets hang from the drink bottles here & here.  For the coffee, you could just attach it around the cup or cardboard finger protector.

Make encouragement cards for them.  Tell what you love about their leadership.  Tell them that you are praying for them (if possible, make a list of prayer requests that you are praying about). 

Attach the verse Philemon 1:7 to the drink: “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.”  or the verse Proverbs 11:25 that says "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."

Before you deliver it, pray specifically for each individual, especially for wisdom as they follow what God would have them to do.

http://reigninggifts.com/MUGS.htm

This would be great to do during October, Pastor Appreciation month. Teacher Appreciation week is always the first full week in May. The 3rd Saturday in April is Husband Appreciation Day. You can find other appreciation day ideas on this site. Get CREATIVE & show a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!

http://www.more4kids.com/personalized-dad-gifts.htm

This idea came from a great teacher friend & partner of mine, Jill Eger!  She has impacted my life in how important it is to teach children to pray & be thankful for those that minister to us!

Respectful Words or Actions?

List some ways we can show respect to God. Write them on cards. Sort them & put them into a “Show Respect by our Words” or “Show Respect by our Actions” catergories. Pray & ask God to help you do all of these things.
                    
Here are some ideas of ways to respect God: praising Him, singing praise songs, telling others about Jesus, praying, obeying His Word, bowing your head & closing your eyes while you pray, taking care of your body (the temple of the Holy Spirit), reading His Word, obeying your authority (president, coaches, employers, parents, elders, peers, etc.), talking about Him, quoting the Bible, fearing the Lord, working hard at everything, taking care of our planet & going to church.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T-F-U-L Spelled Out

Display or make an Acrostic Poem on RESPECTFUL. Discuss ways that a person shows respect. You can also use the poem to write your family's or classroom's Respectful Rules. Display this as a reminder & review it weekly or as needed.

Here is my poem:


 Read God’s Word

 Everyone needs to know about Jesus

 Say please & thank you

 Pray with your eyes closed & head bowed

 Encourage others

 Care for your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit

 Treat everyone like you want to be treated.

 Follow all of the rules

 Use God’s name in a nice way

 Let your Light Shine!

Note: This idea was inspired by a forum at http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?t=16389.  This is a must see for all teachers... great idea!

It's Caught: Respect

It’s Caught!

Respect should be optional, right? I mean if someone treats me disrespectfully then s/he doesn’t deserve respect! I’ll show them!

This is the world’s way of thinking about respect. God looks on respect in whole different way. Respect is showing someone is important by what you say and do. Romans 13:1, tells us that God places ALL those in authority & that we must submit to them. I Peter 2:17 (NIV) goes on to say “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” That means the unsaved husband, the obnoxious boss, the oppressive governmental official, the rude customer service representative, the insensitive lady at church, & the unloving father! From your authority (“honor the king”), to your peer (“the brotherhood of believers”), & then God himself!

I have to admit that this is one of the hardest characters for me to exhibit. When someone disrespects me or my family, I want to tell them what’s what. Unfortunately I was raised around some parental figures who thought of themselves as superior.  Everyone else was inferior & always out to get them! This idea caused so much unhappiness, loneliness, fear & rage.

I struggle with this in my marriage especially, mainly because he is a man who is my authority. I want it my way. I only want to give respect when it is given to me. This is NOT how God designed respect. Despite how I feel, what I want, or how my husband or daughter acts, I am responsible to God for how I react. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

David makes a great picture of undeserving respect in his relationship with King Saul. King Saul seeks to kill David. David has done nothing wrong, but he must flee his family to hide in caves. David has several opportunities to kill King Saul. One day King Saul enters David’s cave to relieve himself. David allows him to go unhurt, but cuts a piece of his robe. David emerges from the cave because he fears he has disrespected Saul. David bows down & says, “Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the LORD's anointed.' … look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion… May the LORD judge between you and me… my hand will not touch you” I Samuel 24:10-12 (NIV). King Saul was focused on himself, not what God would have him to do. He was jealous of David’s fame throughout Israel as a great leader on the battle field. King Saul was self-focused & selfish.

In order to teach your children respect, you must show your children how to be selfless & to look out for the needs of others. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 (NIV) First, help them see the emotions of others. Then, help them see how they might meet the needs of others. This is no easy task, especially for a child that is under 5 or 6 years old.

During my first year of teaching, I had a very sweet, young girl in my class. Her name was Carson. Her parents were always concerned about their children noticing others’ needs. Carson was very mature in the area of respect.

One day, a boy in our class dropped his pencil box & one of the pieces broke off. This young boy was not very loving to others or very obedient in class, but she saw his need. The next day she came in all excited. She handed the boy a pencil box. She explained that she had it at home & thought he would like a new one.

I am not sure if this little boy remembers this act of kindness, but this moment is forever ingrained in my mind. Not many 5 year olds would think of others. In fact, most children can’t really get beyond what affects them until around age 7. This little moment reminds me that respect & selflessness can be taught, even before it can really be caught!

Do not copy & paste this section.  If you would like to pass this on or post it, just attach this website page. Thank you.

September Virtue: Respect

DEFINTION: elevating someone by what you say and do

MEMORY VERSE: "Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." I Peter 2:17 

CONNECTION: thumbs-up to show that you are elevating a person to their higher position.

    (a connection is a visual reminder of the virtue)

SYNONYMS: honor, revere, courtesy, obey, devote, esteem

We must respect God, Authority & our peers: I Peter 2:17 (shown above)

We must respect God: “It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.” Deuteronomy 13:4 (NIV)

We must respect our governmental authority: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1 (NIV)
We must respect our peers:“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 (NIV)
We must respect all elders:“Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:32 (NIV)
We must respect our parents: “Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:3 (NIV)

ANTONYMS: condemn, disobey, dishonor, scorn, disregard, ignore

We disrespect God when we disrespect our authorities: “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:2 (NIV)
True respect is in the heart, not just in actions: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” Luke 20:46, 47 (NASB)

BIBLE STORIES/LESSONS

• Abram Bows to the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 18: 1-15)—Abram is visited by 3visitors who tell him Sarah will be with child the following year
• Eli’s sons Honor Themselves Above the Lord (I Samuel 2:12-17; 22-25)—Hopni & Phinehas were wicked priests that changed God’s laws to fit their desires 
• Eli Honors His Sons Above the Lord (I Samuel 2:27-36; 3:12-14)—After reprimanding his sons, Eli did nothing further to correct them.
• Samuel Honors the Lord (I Samuel 3)—The Lord calls out to Samuel & the Lord promises to honor him.
• The Israelites Honor the World (I Samuel 8)—The Israelites want a king like the other nations instead of having God as their King.
• Goliath Disrespects Israel (I Samuel 17:1-52)—David defeats Goliath
• David Respects Saul (I Samuel 18:28-29; 19:1-12; 22:14; 24:1-22)—David respects Saul because God has made him king even though Saul seeks to kill him.
• Kids Make Fun of Elisha (2 Kings 2:23-25)—Some youth make fun of his bald head so God sends 2 bears to kill them.
• God is Worthy of Our Best (1 Chronicles 29:10-16)—David praises the Lord.
• Hezekiah’s Prayer (Isaiah 36:13-21, 37:1-4, 14-15, 21-23, 33-39)—Sennacherib’s men mocked Hezekiah & God. Hezekiah prayed & God sent an angel to fight for them. We should remain silent when others mock us! Those that disrespect God will be punished.
• King Belshazzar Disrespects God (Daniel 5; I Samuel 2:30)—He uses some of the temple gold goblets for a party. He dies later that night.
• The Golden Rule (Mathew 7:12; Philippians 2:3)—Treat others as you would want to be treated.
• A Centurion meets Jesus (Mathew 8:5-13)—God is in charge of everything
• Respecting Authority (Romans 13:1-7)—God calls us to respect those that He has put in authority over us. 
• Anger vs. Respectfulness (James 1:19-20)—We should be quick to listen, slow to speak & slow to become angry.
• Taming the Tongue (James 3:9-12)—We should use our words to praise God & to be kind to others.

Optional definitions for Respect
 -displaying someone is in charge by what you say & do
 -honoring those around you by your words & actions
 -showing someone is important by your attitude, words & actions