"Jesus called them to Him and said, 'You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and that their great ones exercise authority
over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great
among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you
must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28
To some degree, we humans strive to have power and authority over others. It's inherent in each of us. We want others to do things the way we think or believe that they should be done. The simplest way to get others to do this is to simply make them do it. For a parent, it's much easier to tell your child, "Do it because I told you so" than to try to explain why you want them to do something. And sure, in the short term, the "Do it because I told you" might work. But after a while, we tend to rebel against those who "force" us to do things.
For many years, the authority of the leaders of the United States have sought to draw their authority based upon what God says. Maybe it's because a significant portion of the people who settled this country came here to be able to freely express their faith. Maybe it's because they saw the benefit to aligning society along the lines of God's will and desire and design. I doubt we could ever find one single reason why they chose to go the route they did, but regardless, they seem to have drawn heavily from God's Word in creating the laws of our land.
In recent years, however, our nation has seen great change. There are now many in our borders who do not align themselves with the Christian faith. It's significant that they don't share the same set of core beliefs that shape how we live as people. And so, when we, as Christians, attempt to "force" our beliefs on them through legislation of the laws of the land, should we be surprised, then, when they rebel against them? Or, should we be surprised when those whose background is not formed by the word of God begin to pass legislation that differs greatly from what we believe to be God's design and desire?
For a while, it seems as though many Christians thought that they could simply pass more laws that followed God's will and design. Doing that, they must have reasoned, would lead to change in the hearts and lives of the people of the nation. And yet, it seems as though the opposite has happened. Rather than being drawn to God, they have rebelled against the laws that Christians have sought to pass. They may call it "freedom," but really, what they are striving to get away from is Christians holding authority over their lives and what they can and cannot do.
I believe that there is a reason that Jesus said that His followers are not to "lord" it over others, or even one another. Jesus recognized that we are all tainted with the stain of original sin. None of us likes having someone else tell us what to do or not do. And so, Jesus then suggests another way for His followers. He calls it serving others. As we continue these posts, I'm going to expand upon that thought of serving one another, and my goal is to demonstrate that the most powerful way for Christians to seek for others to follow the design and will of God is through influence, not power or authority. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.
To some degree, we humans strive to have power and authority over others. It's inherent in each of us. We want others to do things the way we think or believe that they should be done. The simplest way to get others to do this is to simply make them do it. For a parent, it's much easier to tell your child, "Do it because I told you so" than to try to explain why you want them to do something. And sure, in the short term, the "Do it because I told you" might work. But after a while, we tend to rebel against those who "force" us to do things.
For many years, the authority of the leaders of the United States have sought to draw their authority based upon what God says. Maybe it's because a significant portion of the people who settled this country came here to be able to freely express their faith. Maybe it's because they saw the benefit to aligning society along the lines of God's will and desire and design. I doubt we could ever find one single reason why they chose to go the route they did, but regardless, they seem to have drawn heavily from God's Word in creating the laws of our land.
In recent years, however, our nation has seen great change. There are now many in our borders who do not align themselves with the Christian faith. It's significant that they don't share the same set of core beliefs that shape how we live as people. And so, when we, as Christians, attempt to "force" our beliefs on them through legislation of the laws of the land, should we be surprised, then, when they rebel against them? Or, should we be surprised when those whose background is not formed by the word of God begin to pass legislation that differs greatly from what we believe to be God's design and desire?
For a while, it seems as though many Christians thought that they could simply pass more laws that followed God's will and design. Doing that, they must have reasoned, would lead to change in the hearts and lives of the people of the nation. And yet, it seems as though the opposite has happened. Rather than being drawn to God, they have rebelled against the laws that Christians have sought to pass. They may call it "freedom," but really, what they are striving to get away from is Christians holding authority over their lives and what they can and cannot do.
I believe that there is a reason that Jesus said that His followers are not to "lord" it over others, or even one another. Jesus recognized that we are all tainted with the stain of original sin. None of us likes having someone else tell us what to do or not do. And so, Jesus then suggests another way for His followers. He calls it serving others. As we continue these posts, I'm going to expand upon that thought of serving one another, and my goal is to demonstrate that the most powerful way for Christians to seek for others to follow the design and will of God is through influence, not power or authority. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.
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