Reflect
Some like to manipulate words in the Bible to make certain passages suit their personal desires. Slaveholders referenced the story of Ham in Genesis 10:18–27 to justify slavery. The reality is that we must strive to take a good look at ourselves and treat others as God wants us to. Do a quick tally in your head. Are there any people in your life that you might treat with less dignity than they deserve? And from how many people do you tolerate too much?
Pray
Oh Lord, please let me see my actions with clear eyes.
Let me see my faults; prompt me to admit and correct them.
Help me to love others out of reverence for you.
Let me understand the healthiest way to love my neighbor—
without acting superior and without letting others trample upon me.
Amen.
Act
“Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ”—Ephesians 5:21. If you see an imbalance in the ways that you treat others, see if you can find better ways to treat them out of reverence for Christ.
