Relationships that Honor God-- Leviticus 19- Part Two

Today I read through Leviticus 20-22... But I'm still drawn back to the ideas presented in Leviticus 19. Human beings are the crowning jewel of God's creation. Genesis 2:7 says, The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 

God made humanity with the very imprint of his being. He breathed (and still breathes...) the breath of life into each and every human being. We are made in the image of God and bear that image. 

That's why it is imperative that we treat each and every person we meet with honor, love, and respect. Each person... Whether we like them or not is a being created in the image of God. So we are expected to treat each one with dignity. 

Leviticus 19 contains several commands that relate to human relationships and how we must proceed within them...

Leviticus 19:3 says, Each of you must show great respect for your mother and father...

Leviticus 19:9&10 say, When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop.... Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God. 

Leviticus 19:11 says, Do not steal... Do not deceive or cheat one another. 

Leviticus 19:13 says, Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.

Leviticus 19:15 says, Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the LORD. 

Leviticus 19:16 says, Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people... Do not stand idly by when your neighbor's life is threatened. I am the LORD. 

Leviticus 19:17 says, Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. 

Leviticus 19:33 & 34 says, Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living  in the land if Egypt. I am the LORD your God. 

It is clear over and over again in these verses that kindness, love, and respect can only start with you and I. We each have a personal responsibility to show love to those we come into contact with. It happens with one person at a time... One interaction at a time... One thought at a time... One word at a time... One action at a time...

We have a choice right now to mark our relationships with nothing but honor, kindness, respect... And above all these-- Love, from this day onward. Love binds them all together and gives them life. 

Whoever we chance to come in contact with today should walk away with the distinct impression of being loved and respected.