Give Respect where it's Due

“Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” Romans 13:7 BSB

As I stood at the start line of the Bass Pro Marathon last Sunday after performing the prerace devotional, I listened intently to the words of our national anthem being sung that would signify the beginning of the race, “whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight…” and was overcome with thankfulness for the sacrifice of the thousands of veterans who have fought “the perilous fight” so I could be free to do the things I love – things like worshiping the Lord in public and running races such as this one - because I know full well the freedoms we Americans enjoy were not really ‘free’ at all. They were earned through the hard work and bought by the sacrifice of countless veterans over many generations who unselfishly chose to serve our country to ensure it was and will stay the “land of the free and home of the brave.”

And you know, when it comes to expressing our thankfulness, the Bible is clear that you and I are to “pay everyone” what we owe them. This means giving “respect to whom respect is due” and “honor to whom honor is due.” And if giving someone respect and honor means holding them in high esteem as a result of something they have done or were willing to do, you and I would do well to thank the men and women who have served in both times of peace and war for their willingness to join “the perilous fight” whenever and wherever they were called to go.

So on this Veteran’s Day, may we be sure to give “honor to whom honor is due” by thanking a veteran for their service to our country. After all, as George Orwell wrote, “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that freedom is never free and that we owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who served to make our country a place where we are free to worship You. Help us to return to being a country once again fully united under the slogan “one nation under God” Lord that their service might not have been in vain. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!