By: Chris V "Why should I have to do all the work?" I grumbled after my parents told me to do a particular chore I'm not a fan of- pulling weeds. (There's always so many of them!) Later that week, I ended up getting in trouble with a teacher because I refused to do some of the class work and instead, read a book. By the end of the week, I was thinking, "Why would God put authorities in my life? And why should I listen to them?" Have you ever asked yourself that? The real problem with the scenarios above was not the authorities God put over me (Romans 13:1), but my rebellious heart. You see, we rebel because we live in a fallen, sinful world, and we often respond with a terrible attitude. For example, when your parents ask you to wash the dishes, do you immediately go and do them with a joyful heart (you're doing it for the Lord! (Colossians 3:23-24) or do you immediately go and do them while complaining under your breath? What about when your teacher assigns you a 5 page essay? Do you respond with "I need to write HOW many pages?!?!? There's no WAY I'm doing that." or do you respond with a joyful heart and do the essay? (Side note: Rebellion in never an excuse for sin.) Joy Instead of Rebellion What does the Bible say about rebellion? In Romans 13:2, it says "Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement." Another verse says: "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you" (Hebrews 13:17). That sounds like some big stuff! Notice Hebrews 13:17 says "Let them do this with joy and not with groaning...". So instead of saying, "Why do I have to go to this place with this person?", you could say "I get to go this place with this person; how can I serve God to the fullest in this situation?". Why Should I Submit? Now that we have addressed the heart issue, let's talk about why we should submit to authorities. (I used to wonder about why we should submit to authorities a lot when things in a situation didn't go my way.) We should submit to God-ordained authorities because God commands it! In 1 Peter 2:13-17, it says, "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." Paul is saying that God says to submit to authorities, even when you don't agree with them (like when your parents say no to you going to a certain party, or when a youth leader tries to help you correct a sinful habit). If you truly love God, wouldn't you want to try to keep His commands? Submission= Best Freedom Ever! A few years ago, I got a copy of the book Lies Young Women Believe by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth and Dannah Gresh as a present. (I was super excited to read it!) One thing that stuck out to me in the book (and still does!) is a sidebar on page 190. The side bar featured an acronym that reads T.R.Y. (Totally Relinquishing and Yielding). This basically means you are surrendering to God. Surrendering to God is saying "Okay God, I'm giving you control of this situation because you know what's best for me." That may sometimes mean submitting to your parents, youth leaders, teachers... the list goes on. The best part of surrendering to God? You have the best freedom ever! When you submit to God, you remove any reckless thought or action that could ruin your future and takes the freedom God has already given you. Submit to God (and God-ordained authorities), and He will give you freedom beyond belief.
Have you ever struggled with submission? What did you learn? Share in the comments below!
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