Joy in Serving: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistryNäide

My Country: Submit It might seem as though Christians would be subversive citizens. After all, we acknowledge a monarch who is superior to our president, and our first allegiance is to Christ. The Bible to us has authoritative force greater than the U.S. Constitution. And yet our heavenly Sovereign commands us to show respect, even submission, to our earthly government. “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13-15). Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who willingly worked in service to the Babylonian government that had destroyed their own country. Today many Christians throughout the world live in countries whose Communist or Muslim leadership is outwardly hostile to the Christian faith. An attitude of loyalty and cooperation even to a government with which they have some strenuous disagreements will make Christ look good and bring God’s blessings. Christians have a mandate not to be social revolutionaries but to spread the love and forgiveness of Christ. That process goes better if the ignorant talk of foolish men is silenced.