Catechism--Fourth Commandment--Honor your father and mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.
Romans 13:2--Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Devotion--When sin entered into the world, so also did the need for enforcing laws that would serve to protect society. One of the very first episodes in the Bible demonstrates this need, as Cain, in a moment of hatred, kills his brother Abel. Almost immediately, we see that the entrance of sin into the world also creates a need for authorities to enforce God's will and rules and laws.
In our nation, we have many different authorities who oversee our daily life, and who seek to serve and protect us and our neighbors. They have a sacred duty, even as they serve in a very secular realm. After all, as the verse above from Romans indicates, they are serving in an arena that God has established.
So what happens when we despise parents and other authorities? Not only do we endanger the lives of our neighbors, but we also fight against something that God Himself has established for our own good. In essence, when we resist the authorities, we're also resisting God. And none of us could possibly hope to prove that doing this is what God has in mind for His people.
Are there ways in which you are guilty of despising the authorities? Are there some areas of your life that could use a little reflection, to see what your attitude toward the authorities betrays? The truth is, we all have these inside us, and that's why we are so thankful for the loving sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, who truly is the authority above and behind all other authority.
Romans 13:2--Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Devotion--When sin entered into the world, so also did the need for enforcing laws that would serve to protect society. One of the very first episodes in the Bible demonstrates this need, as Cain, in a moment of hatred, kills his brother Abel. Almost immediately, we see that the entrance of sin into the world also creates a need for authorities to enforce God's will and rules and laws.
In our nation, we have many different authorities who oversee our daily life, and who seek to serve and protect us and our neighbors. They have a sacred duty, even as they serve in a very secular realm. After all, as the verse above from Romans indicates, they are serving in an arena that God has established.
So what happens when we despise parents and other authorities? Not only do we endanger the lives of our neighbors, but we also fight against something that God Himself has established for our own good. In essence, when we resist the authorities, we're also resisting God. And none of us could possibly hope to prove that doing this is what God has in mind for His people.
Are there ways in which you are guilty of despising the authorities? Are there some areas of your life that could use a little reflection, to see what your attitude toward the authorities betrays? The truth is, we all have these inside us, and that's why we are so thankful for the loving sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, who truly is the authority above and behind all other authority.
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