Do you trust God?
That is a great question that we all need to ask ourselves. We all think that we trust God, but in reality, do we fully trust him? Do we fully trust that he is in control?
I am writing this devotional before our country’s election has actually happened. At this point in time, I do not know who has won. However, I can tell you this. God has always been in control and is currently still in control no matter who the president is. We must understand that nothing takes God by surprise. God has allowed every person in authority to be there. This is true for the whole world as well, not just America. Christians in the US quickly forget that there is a whole world filled with many different types of leaders and parties. Many of which do not align with God. This is no surprise to God. God has allowed them to be in the position they are in. Now as a Christian, what does following our government look like in our lives? Are we supposed to listen to them? Are we supposed to rebel? Let’s look at some things Jesus said.
In Matthew 22:15-21, we see some people trying to trap Jesus in what to do with taxes. Jesus’s response is different than what they might have been hoping for. Jesus said, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” It is important to listen to our leaders and give them what is theirs. It is more important to also give to God in all ways. We should not use our personal beliefs to try to be dishonest to benefit ourselves.
In Romans 13:1-5, we see more submission to governing authorities in our lives. It states that every authority has been put in place by God. We should not be looking to rebel against a governing authority just because we disagree with them. God has put them in place. It is okay to disagree, but we should look to be submissive in all ways unless it comes to the point that stops us from following God. This is not an opportunity for us to stretch that grey area. When we look at Jesus and his apostles, they never disobeyed the government for personal reasons. When we see them disobeying, it was to follow God’s Law, which is greater. Their disobedience came with great cost, though. We see them being threatened, beaten, mocked, thrown in jail, tortured, and executed. This was not over simple disagreement of politics but over the idea of giving to God what is his. We are called to submit to the governing authorities in our lives in every way, unless it comes to the point where it stops us from truly worshipping our God. We cannot look to try to create loopholes in this in our lives.
Christians in America tend to get all out of shape when it comes to politics, and we tend to lose our focus on the real mission that has been entrusted to us. That is the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ. No matter who is running this country, we have a mission that goes far beyond politics. We have been entrusted with telling others the good news of Jesus regardless of what is going on politically in our nation. Christians around the world are all facing different types of adversity. We tend to fall into our political trap here, rather than seeing other adversities Christians face around the world and areas that make being a Christian nearly impossible without being imprisoned. Yet, it all glorifies God. The gospel continues to go forward. We have seen throughout history and the Bible that you cannot stop the gospel of Jesus from going forward and transforming lives. That is what we are called to be about. Give to Caesar what is his. Obey our government as much as we possibly can. Those are things we are called to do. More importantly though, no matter where we are, we are called to be ambassadors of the gospel!
That is a great question that we all need to ask ourselves. We all think that we trust God, but in reality, do we fully trust him? Do we fully trust that he is in control?
I am writing this devotional before our country’s election has actually happened. At this point in time, I do not know who has won. However, I can tell you this. God has always been in control and is currently still in control no matter who the president is. We must understand that nothing takes God by surprise. God has allowed every person in authority to be there. This is true for the whole world as well, not just America. Christians in the US quickly forget that there is a whole world filled with many different types of leaders and parties. Many of which do not align with God. This is no surprise to God. God has allowed them to be in the position they are in. Now as a Christian, what does following our government look like in our lives? Are we supposed to listen to them? Are we supposed to rebel? Let’s look at some things Jesus said.
In Matthew 22:15-21, we see some people trying to trap Jesus in what to do with taxes. Jesus’s response is different than what they might have been hoping for. Jesus said, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” It is important to listen to our leaders and give them what is theirs. It is more important to also give to God in all ways. We should not use our personal beliefs to try to be dishonest to benefit ourselves.
In Romans 13:1-5, we see more submission to governing authorities in our lives. It states that every authority has been put in place by God. We should not be looking to rebel against a governing authority just because we disagree with them. God has put them in place. It is okay to disagree, but we should look to be submissive in all ways unless it comes to the point that stops us from following God. This is not an opportunity for us to stretch that grey area. When we look at Jesus and his apostles, they never disobeyed the government for personal reasons. When we see them disobeying, it was to follow God’s Law, which is greater. Their disobedience came with great cost, though. We see them being threatened, beaten, mocked, thrown in jail, tortured, and executed. This was not over simple disagreement of politics but over the idea of giving to God what is his. We are called to submit to the governing authorities in our lives in every way, unless it comes to the point where it stops us from truly worshipping our God. We cannot look to try to create loopholes in this in our lives.
Christians in America tend to get all out of shape when it comes to politics, and we tend to lose our focus on the real mission that has been entrusted to us. That is the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ. No matter who is running this country, we have a mission that goes far beyond politics. We have been entrusted with telling others the good news of Jesus regardless of what is going on politically in our nation. Christians around the world are all facing different types of adversity. We tend to fall into our political trap here, rather than seeing other adversities Christians face around the world and areas that make being a Christian nearly impossible without being imprisoned. Yet, it all glorifies God. The gospel continues to go forward. We have seen throughout history and the Bible that you cannot stop the gospel of Jesus from going forward and transforming lives. That is what we are called to be about. Give to Caesar what is his. Obey our government as much as we possibly can. Those are things we are called to do. More importantly though, no matter where we are, we are called to be ambassadors of the gospel!
Posted in Devotional