There was a vision, A simple but piercing moment.
Someone was asked, "Do you want love or respect as a person?"
Without hesitation, they answered, "Respect."
But then I spoke in the vision: "Jesus wasn't respected - so how are you
getting respected - so how are you getting respected?"
At that moment, the person had no words. Silence filled the space, and truth
did all the speaking.
The Respect the World Offers
Respect is a word people chase.
Respect in the workplace.
Respect in relationships.
Respect in society.
Yet respect is fragile - it shifts with moods, opinions,
status, and even appearances. The very crowd that praises you today
may mock you tomorrow.
Jesus Himself, who healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead,
was not respected. The same voices that cried "Hosanna!" soon cried
"Crucify Him! (Mark 11:9; Mark 15:13).
Isaiah spoke of Him long before His birth:
"He is despised and rejected by men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him."
(Isaiah 53:3, NKJV)
If the Son of God - the only One who ever lived without
sin - was disrespected, rejected, and mocked, what does that
tell us about earthly respect?
The Love that Never Fails
While the world offered Jesus no respect, what He gave was
love. Eternal, unfailing love.
" Greater love has no one than this, than to
lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13, NKJV)
Respect may open doors in this world, but love opens the door
to eternity. Love is not earned by status or demanded by pride -
it is given by grace.
Lord Jesus didn't come looking for respect. He came to pour out love.
He didn't demand to be esteemed by men, He chose to redeem men.
And it is that same love that still reaches for us today.
Why the Question Matters
When the person in the vision chose "respect," they revealed
something we all must face; are we chasing the approval of
people, or the eternal love of God?
Respect may look appealing, but it can vanish in an instant.
Love, however, anchors us forever.
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:8:
"Love never fails."
Respect fails. Opinions fail. Popularity fails.
But love never fails - because love is Who God is (1 John 4:8).
A Kingdom Perspective
Heaven does not measure success by how respected you are on earth.
Heaven measures by love.
When Lord Jesus stood before Pilate, there was no respect in the courtroom - only
mockery, false accusations, and shouts for His death. Yet even then, His love held firm.
He went to the cross not because men respected Him, but because He loved them, even as
they despised Him.
The Kingdom flips the script;
*The last will be first.
*The servant is the greatest.
*The despised are chosen.
*The weak are made strong.
Respect is a temporary crown. Love is an eternal inheritance.
Silence Before Truth
In the vision, the person had no words when confronted with the reality
that Lord Jesus was not respected. And that's the power of truth - it silences
human reasoning.
Sometimes silence is the sound of pride collapsing. Sometimes, silence
is the moment when a heart realizes what it's been chasing is not eternal.
When faced with Lord Jesus, no argument stands. Every tongue will confess
and every knee will bow. (Philippians 2:10-11).
Living Beyond Respect
The vision challenges us: Are we satisfied with respect, or are we anchored in love?
To live beyond respect means:
* You don't live for applause, but for obedience.
* You don't measure your worth by titles, but by His truth.
* You don't crumble when dishonored, because His love holds you.
Jesus said in John 15:18:
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you."
If they disrespected Him, we should not be surprised when they do the same to us.
But just as He overcame, we overcome - because His love abides in us.
A Living Prayer
"Lord, thank You for showing me that Your love is far greater than the
fleeting respect of man. Let me not chase approval that fades, but remain
in the love that never fails. Remind me that if You were not respected, I cannot
expect to be either. Anchor me in Your love that cannot be moved. Glory."
Conclusion: The Greater Choice
So which will it be - love or respect?
The world may tempt us to choose respect, but Jesus has already
shown us the greater way. He was disrespected, despised, and
mocked - yet He loved without end.
And because He loved, we live.
That is the eternal difference.
