“Beware that you don’t despise a single one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father” (Romans 18:10 NLT).
Were you aware you can be convicted by the Holy Spirit via a dictionary? This verse sent me scurrying to my online dictionary/thesaurus. I wish I hadn’t. But I just wanted to know a little more about one simple word. Fully aware of its definition, I wanted to assure myself—and see what other words might work in its place. That one simple word? Despise.
First, I’d already determined that every human could be considered “one of these little ones.” Size matters not. Age matters not. The fact that He breathed life into every one of us makes us His. We’re all His little ones. So, we could take this verse to mean, “Be careful that we don’t despise anyone.”
Despise. Despise? I don’t think there is a single person I despise. I truly cannot think of a soul I hate.
That’s when I pulled up the dictionary. And found what I found. And felt what I felt. And was convicted about the ways I deal with His little ones.
Despise also means to disfavor. To pass over. To disregard. To scorn. To overlook. To neglect. To slight. To shirk.
Ouch! I’m guilty. I despise people. I despise His little ones.
My morning greetings at church today will be altered to this morning’s verse. Yes, who I speak to, who I make an effort to greet, who I walk clear across the church to welcome will be affected this morning by my time in the…dictionary.
Malinda Edgell
Illinois
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for good services today at Home Missions churches in Rochester and Buffalo, New York.
I wish I hadn’t.
