Submit....to Trump
Hey y'all! I started this year doing a devotional on 1 Peter. So far it has been fantastic and something in today's reading really stood out to me as an issue the whole world seems to be facing right now. It is a little six letter word that a lot of folks have an issue with. You guessed it, the word is Submit (not like the title of the blog had anything to do with your guess right?!?). I hope you will stick around with me while I open up about this controversial topic.
The verses I read this morning were 1 Peter 2:13-17 "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." The phrase "be subject" can be translated as submit. When I read that this morning the first thing that popped in my mind was "Where do I struggle with this?". From looking at the media and social sites, it is clear many (including myself at times) are struggling with submitting to our current government leaders. Ouch right? Sometimes this is extremely hard and I am not even going to get into the whole wives/husband side of this. You're welcome. ;)
President Trump deserves our submission....not because of anything he has done, but because scripture clearly states it is the Lord's will that we submit to the leaders that we have. Daniel 2:21 speaks to this when it says "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding". We might not have Kings today, but we do have leaders. And those leaders (like our President) are put in place by the Lord and no one else. Unless that leader is directing us to deliberately disobey God, we are to submit to their authority. Go back to the 1 Peter passage. Why are we to do that? For one it is the will of God (which is totally a big enough reason to do anything!), but secondly, it is to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Whoa!
So why is this such a big deal? Well, as Christians, we are really stinking at this. I see so many people bashing President Trump and other political leaders on social media every day. It is really sad and disheartening. I have even seen people stating, he isn't my president and never will be! Ummmm....if you live in America, he is your president whether you like it or not. :) We might not agree with everything he says and does, but he does deserve our respect, simply because God put him in a position of authority. This isn't just for the President, but also any other role that is considered an authority (Parents, Bosses, Police, etc).
What does this mean for you and for me? Well, I encourage you believer, to watch your tongue (even your writings). People are watching us and just looking for ways to tarnish the amazing work of the Lord. Don't add to their ammunition by being foolish. Be a light in an extremely dark world. Choose to speak life and pray for your leaders. As your momma used to say "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". If you are unhappy with the authority in your life, don't broadcast it, seek the only one who can change it....the Lord. Pray for God's mercies to be fresh in their lives and that He would direct their paths. Pray He would use them in a mighty way to further the Kingdom of the Lord. I only use President Trump because He is the main authority people seem to be unhappy with right now, but this works for anyone in authority in your life.
This can be a really difficult thing when you don't agree with what the that person is doing. It's okay that you don't agree with them all or some of the time. It's okay that it isn't easy. God never told us life would be easy, in fact, quiet the opposite. You are accountable for your actions (including every word you say or type). They are accountable for their actions as well. Follow the Lord's will for your life and submit to the authority He has placed. He is God and we are not. Let's not pretend we know better than He does. Because we don't. Trust Him. I love you all. Till next time.
Worship with me today!