Deut. 13:4–Commands to Revere

Deuteronomy 13:4–"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."

Quite plainly, this is a direct command for us to follow, to revere, and to obey God.  It is unequivocal and clear; there is no ambiguity.  We are called, all of us, to a life of obedience and reverence, that we would live a life deferent and penitent to the Holy Lord is the goal for every believer.  Needless to say, this verse would be altogether impossible to accomplish if not for the indwelling, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.  Because of this truth, we should be ever praying that God would empower us so that we could commit to loving the Lord completely and with reverence.

Romans 12:10: Loving One Another in Showing Honor

Romans 12:10: "Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor."

This is one of my favorite verses translated in a way that really hits me.  I am a competitive bloke and this one speaks right to that part of who I am: outdo one another in showing honor, which follows, love one another with brotherly affection.  This is not some sort of game, as it were.  No, this is an attitude toward love: to love more, better, and realer than everyone else.  Not for the purpose of competition, per se, but as an act of devotion as well as instruments of grace and love to everyone we may come into contact.

But this is not merely a suggestion, like: "if you get around to it then..."  This is a recipe, a prescriptive command of the kind of love God has shown us in Christ and, by extension, the sort of love that He desires us to show one another.  We would do well, then, to take this passage to heart: how well are we enduring in brotherly affection and showing honor in love to those around us?