In God We Trust - I

In God we trust. Do we really? How do you know? In other words, what is the evidence at this moment in your life, that you are trusting in God?

We live in sad times. We live in evil times. We live in a time where there appears to be no moral compass beyond what an individual - any individual - thinks or feels is right at a given moment. In general, people appear to be floundering and groping around (as if in the dark) for something, anything, to attach relevance and significance to, as they grapple with all the issues life is hurling at them with force and speed.

On a good day, I can't keep up with all of the "stuff" that is going on in the world, in our country, "the land of the free and the home of the brave." However, in spite on any lack I may have politically or culturally, one thing I know for sure, there is a God and it ain't me!

What is my point? Too many of us are giving ourselves the freedom to speak against the current administration and I am seriously and deeply concerned. I can't help but honestly wonder whether the Lord is okay with this. Do we behave wisely and for Christ's sake when we slander or speak against people whom God has placed in authority over us? If I imitate the world in speaking against our current president as so many in the world did regarding the former, am I guilty of wrongdoing?

In God we trust. In God I trust!

Consider David. He was fully committed to Saul and sought to serve him in every way. He knew that it was unwise to undercut Saul's position of authority. Even after Saul became jealous and began to pursue David to take his life, David didn't speak against Saul or do harm to him, even though he could have.

Like Saul, we have a leader who is not seeking the counsel of God and it would therefore be ever so easy to speak against him at every turn. However, I sincerely believe that for disciples and followers of Christ, it ought not to be so.

Stephanie

Romans 13:1-7 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.1

1 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2013&version=ESV