"Submission"

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s Sake to every Authority instituted among men…” 1 Peter 2:13

Submission is not a very popular word these days. It almost exclusively means surrender. It is as if “giving in” means “giving up”. Totally different though aren’t they. I remember as a kid with my arm twisted up behind my back by bullies being forced to cry “Uncle”. I hated it, as I still hate bullying, today. Well, what about when the “authorities” are making you comply unfairly? We must obey the law of the land in the jurisdiction we live, unless it demands us too deny our faith. Be careful here. Being treated unfairly is not necessarily forcing you to deny your faith. Many around the world are hanging on to their faith and being persecuted totally disregarded, with little or no recourse. A ticket that exaggerates your mistake is not persecution. Very few of us, if any, have known true persecution. The Word is clear. Submit to the authorities. Use your recourse, but always with a Christian attitude and make sure any anger is totally righteous. Respect authority for its purpose even if it is enforcing its right, with wrong character. We must differentiate between rights and righteousness. We should not act un-righteously about out rights. We can be bold without being belligerent, bombastic or even brash. This is not easy. Being wise in this arena is a test of tact. One help I get from Peter is that he reminds us to do this submitting for the Lord’s sake, or in His name. In every situation, call upon Jesus for guidance, protection and wisdom. Submit, wherever you should and do so in His name and for His glory.

By His grace,
Pastor Fred

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