Day 3/ Week 2 - Stepping Up

Psalm 123:
I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
Like a servant's eyes on His master's hand, like a servant girl's eyes on her mistress's hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He show us favor.
Show us favor, Lord, show us favor, for we've had more than enough contempt
We've had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.

Day 3 - Much Contempt
As we zero in on the second half of the psalm, what specific reason did the psalmist give for requesting mercy?
They had endured much contempt
The Hebrew term translated "contempt" comes from a root that means "to disrespect". Everyone knows what it is like to be treated disrespectfully. Write a general definition of disrespect; then give two examples.
My definition is: To disregard the worthiness of another individual. I don't know if that is correct, but that is what I wrote.
My examples: My children - their disobedience - It portrays the attitude that I am not worthy of being their parent
My attitude towards service to God and allowing other things to have my focus/attention. God is truly worthy of my foremost attention and affection.

Disrespect devalues an individual. Think about how it makes you feel when you sense disrespect from individuals in your life. It is important to remember that disrespect does not mean the same thing as disagreement. You have to be careful to be able to disagree with someone but not disrespect them. Every person in our lives comes from different environments and different backgrounds. This, in turn, creates different perspectives!!! Three people can be in the same room, at the same time, witness the same situation and have three different perspectives. Consider that when you disagree with someone. We always need to remember that our opinions are ours. We cannot force them on anyone else. If someone disagrees with our opinions, it is important to respect that individual and listen to their side. Always keep in mind that you can show disrespect through the tone of your voice, the expressions on your face and your mannerism. As Christians, we should stand firm in our belief in Jesus Christ and all of the things He stands for; however, we are not to disrespect individuals when standing for what we believe. That is the fastest way to drive someone away!!!!
Ongoing disrespect can cause individuals to say, "We are up to here with it!" Do you ever feel that way?
That is basically what the psalmist is saying in the second portion of Psalm 123. He is saying, "I haven't just had enough...I have had more than enough"!
Disrespect and ridicule can become very oppressive. When individuals are oppressed by disrespect, it eventually wears on their self esteem.
Poor self esteem can lead to many problems, most of which are sinful. We actually discuss the sin that can come from poor self esteem in a future study. So, I don't want to dive into it today, but it is food for thought.
I have to be honest with you, this was a Bible study day that was kind of difficult for me. Disrespect is a pet peeve of mine, and I have made a conscious effort to treat others with respect so that my children will see me model that in life. However, I have to tell you that there are many days when I wonder if their eyes and ears are watching/listening. It is just the one thing I cannot tolerate from them, and it seems like the thing I am hit with the most. Brian and I deal with back talk and fit pitching more than we care to, and we feel like we are fighting a brick wall some days!!! We explain, we try to model, we discipline and we still deal with it. It's funny that when others have our children, they always compliment their behavior (unless my dear friends are lying to me!!!). So apparently, my children realize they need to respect the people they spend the least amount of time with!!! That makes sense doesn't it? While I want them to respect EVERYONE they come in contact with, I would also love a little when they are home. I am so proud of Landon in public (most of the time) because he often remembers to hold the door for people coming behind them and tends to show others a lot of consideration. Yet, I have had the door closed in my face numerous times. Who knows??? Maybe I am not a "person" to them...I am mom!!! Ridge is still kind of oblivious to the world around him. It's not that he is inconsiderate. I just don't think it has dawned on him yet. I just have to pray that one day I will see the fruits of my labor in the all that they do. Let's just pray that all of our children and grandchildren one day sense the Holy Spirit guiding them in their ways when dealing with others. I would definitely love to know that mine would choose to listen to the Holy Spirit over me anytime!!!
Okay...difficult subject for me...where is tomorrow's Bible study!!!
love you guys
tiff