From the Pastor’s Desk
Rev. Goh Yong Kuang

Familiarity Breeds… Respect!

Most of us are familiar with the old adage “familiarity breeds contempt.” It is not difficult for many of us to think of one particular experience that totally agrees with the wisdom of this saying.

When people are familiar with each other, they tend to take each other for granted. Take for instance…

• We switch TV channels without any consideration for the person who is watching the programme.
• We do not hesitate to let our tempers fly or bother to mind our manners when in the presence of others.
• We don’t bother to say a simple “please” or “thank you”.
• We are being presumptuous.

The trouble with familiarity is that it often leads to prejudice and the loss of respect. Jesus knew how hard it was to be a prophet in his own hometown, due to the people’s familiarity with Him (Luke 4:24).  Familiarity caused the people to see him as nothing more than a carpenter’s son, instead of being the promised Messiah (Luke 4:22).  Nathanael’s comment about Jesus is not without prejudice – “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”(John 1:46, ESV).

Today, we may develop familiarity and contempt toward the things of God (e.g. worship service, holy communion, prayer, etc.).  We do these things so often that we no longer think anything of them or we fail to recognize and appreciate their value and meaning.

Familiarity with God may result in the loss of reverence, awe and the fear of God.  Such loss or lack of reverence is reflected in our casual attire, behavior and attitude while in the house of God.  We show our contempt by the lack of mental and spiritual preparation before and during the worship service.

Sensing an imminent problem that was likely to result from one’s familiarity with the merciful and gracious nature of God, the apostle Paul warned the early Christians against taking God’s grace for granted by their persistent disregard for the law of God (Romans 6:1).  When we allow our familiarity with God to breed contempt, we condemn ourselves and deprive ourselves of His blessings.

Familiarity however, does not have to lead to contempt.  Instead, it should lead to a deeper regard and respect for God and for one another.  Few people have such a close encounter with the Lord as the prophet Isaiah.  Yet, his experience only led him to cry out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5, NASB)

We should let our familiarity with God and His Word breed respect and reverence for Him.  The closer we are to God, the more we should realize how utterly undeserving and unworthy we are, and that we cannot take His grace for granted!