Good Morning Friends,
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to
every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme
authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong
and to commend those who do right. … Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters
with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to
those who are harsh.” (1 Peter 2:13-14; 18)
None of us like submission – but all of us
have to submit. All of us live under some kind of authority.
There are governing authorities over our
lives. They set speed limits and install STOP signs to regulate how we drive
and we are expected to submit. They enact regulations about how and when and
where we can build, even on property that we own. They set fees that we must
pay to go into business and establish taxes that we must pay on income, sales,
investments, property, and so on. We are required to submit to the rules they
establish, or to suffer the consequences for not submitting.
Most of us work under the authority of
employers. They may require us to work days and hours that we would rather not
work. They may ask us to handle tasks that we would rather not handle. They may
make decisions with which we do not agree. But as long as we work under their
authority, we are required to submit to them – or suffer the consequences of
not submitting.
And there are many other kinds of authority
that may operate in our lives — certainly some that did at some times. Parents
exercise authority over their children. Teachers exercise authority over their
students. Officers exercise authority over the soldiers.
Toward each authority in our lives we must
exercise submission. It is the way life works. It is the way God designed life to
work.
And all of us face it. Even the most powerful
tyrant operates under some kind of authority – as most of them found out when
finally the people or another ruler arose to overthrow them. And even when they
were never overthrown, they faced another Authority when they died!
How can we live in a world in which we must
submit to authorities with whose policies and rules we do not agree? There is
only one good answer to that question. It’s the one under which Jesus lived His
life – “He entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)
Submit to the proper authorities in your life
and trust God. Even Jesus did that and left us His example to follow.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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