Peter starts the passage by instructing the people to be subject to every "human institution" for the Lord's sake. This is a strong witness to the world around us, which, especially in light of current political campaigns, makes a lot of sense. It seems like you can't turn on the TV, or read the paper without reading about some discontentment with this or that candidate, or even more so with our President. Whether or not we agree with everything our current President has done, does not God's word instruct us to be subject? And I don't think that "being subject" includes grumbling, and complaining, and publicly bashing the things about him we dislike.
I'm not saying I'm his number one fan or anything, but the apostle Peter reveals that it is the will of God that we submit to their authority, that we may "put to silence the ignorance of foolish people."
Anyways, enough politics, submitting to earthly authority is done in the big picture of submitting to God in faith. We live as servants of God, or more accurately, as slaves. This means every area of our life is under his authority, and he alone is the one who is the master.
The youth were challenged with thinking about what areas of their lives they have not submitted to God. The guys and girls actually competed against each other to come up with ways that they could submit to authority, and ultimately, to God.
I think one of the greatest pictures of this struggle we have of submitting is seen at the driveway of West Ranch High School on Sunday mornings, when we're all leaving the campus after church. When you pull out of the main drive of the school, there's a sign that says "No Left Turn" (you know the one!), and the road is littered with those skinny posts. However, there's enough space between the posts to make that illegal left turn, and there are many (including myself) who go ahead and turn left on the justification that the law is meant to keep order during times of traffic in and out of the school, and not on a Sunday morning.
There are also those of us who read the "No Left Turn" sign, and feel morally convicted about turning lef
t, so they turn right. I applaud that choice. What happens next however, is that those same people get to the traffic light, and realize that there is a "No U-Turn" sign on it!! At this point, I have witnessed many of those cars go ahead and make the illegal U-Turn!! The same ones who were morally convicted to not turn left out of the driveway! They must feel that there is some kind of quota for obeying street signs, and that they somehow fulfilled their moral obligation to do so, and thus are no longer required to!!Occasionally I watch a car go all the way down to the end of the street and make the legal U-Turn at that point, but I must say that it is a small number of cars that do.
We submit as long as it doesn't inconvenience us don't we sometimes?? Is this truly submission? Submission shouldn't be dependent on how easy it is for us to do, but should depend on the conviction of the Spirit of the living God who is within us!
Just a little food for thought. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment