Good morning,
Our Enemy is doing his very best to convince God’s family that obeying the law is a matter of personal conviction and convenience. Now that our leaders and potential leaders are clearly turning away from the standards and guidelines that were based on biblical principles, we are being tempted to hate our leaders and not listen to God’s guidelines for living under these circumstances. God has made it quite clear that our leaders are a part of God’s bigger plan for dealing with sin and rebellion in our generation. Both in the New and Old Testaments, God’s family was required to live under the control of very ungodly leaders. Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that, Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. v.1 As sinful people, we keep forgetting that the Lord has the right to give us the kind of leaders that we have earned by the way we have related to him as well as to one another. Paul goes on to point out that, So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. v.2 As God’s children we make a serious mistake in thinking that we have the right to insist that ungodly people owe us justice and standards based on our heavenly guidelines.
Those of us who have lived in countries that were established or developed using biblical guidelines really haven’t paid much attention to history or biblical truth. Genuine godliness in our sin filled world does best when confronted with challenge and pressure. When we walk away from the biblical challenges and the joyful standards of following our Savior, God has a way of making us deal with pressure of a different sort. When King Solomon was writing about living under kingly pressure he noted, His command is backed by great power. No one can resist or question it.(Ecc.8:4) He noted that when we obey the rules we will be left alone and then he wisely said, Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right,(v.5) God has planted his followers all over the world who are living under all kinds of government forms. We will always have the wisdom and strength from the Holy Spirit to know how to do what is right in his sight. God knows how to use the pressure in our lives to show the world around us that there is a living God that is worthy of our trust. Solomon also noted, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble. (v.6) May the Lord help us to prosper greatly under the great pressures that are sure to be a part of our ministries during our time in His Story here on earth.
Ecclesiastes 8:4 His command is backed by great power. No one can resist or question it. 5 Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, 6 for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.
Roy Wisner
