1 Peter 2:13-17
Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Recently on a national cable news program, elected officials from my home state were featured… and not in a good light. These men were making some pretty radical statements…lodging criticisms that were unfair, at best – and in at least one instance, inaccurate. I was embarrassed – not only by these people, but also by the fact that they have in any way colored others’ impression of people from my area.
I did not vote for these men, and I do not agree with their positions. However, I am mandated by God to love them… to behave respectfully toward them and refrain from calling them names or criticizing them personally. They have a right to their beliefs. Do I think that what they propose is good for our state or country? Absolutely not! If their mandates are enacted by a majority vote, I won’t like it. But I will do my best to behave honorably and work within our democratic system to bring about changes. And I will trust God to handle the rest.
I have been amazed and deeply saddened by the comments I have seen and heard from people who claim to be disciples of Christ - mentors in our schools, communities and churches – who have spoken unkindly (and in some cases downright hatefully) about our government and its leaders. You cannot call an elected official a hateful name and then expect children and students of all ages to refrain from name calling in their daily living. You can’t blame the government, the President, or even your city council representative for everything that is wrong in your life, then assume that people will believe you when you say you have faith in God to handle the worries of your day.
In our country, we operate under the tenets of a democracy, which means the majority rule. As individuals, we are not always going to be a part of that majority. This is when we have to trust God to handle what we cannot. We can’t reverse the results of elections… but we can trust God to handle things - regardless of the outcome.
We may feel we have very sound reasons for disliking an elected official and/or the way our government is being run. But God still expects us to show respect. God commands us to honor Him… to follow the rules, serve Him, and trust His ability to handle all things on our behalf. God requires us to love one another – even those who didn’t get our vote. We must behave with dignity, use common sense, and focus on our roles as Disciples of Christ. Some of us have lost sight of this. It’s time we took a serious look at how well we offer grace, mercy and forgiveness to others… even those who didn’t get our vote!
©2013 Debbie Robus
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