Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Sounds just like a Chris Tomlin song...
Whoa.
That's pretty intense, isn't it?
Makes me really want to step back and examine my life some more. What is my "central purpose for being?" I'm not sure. I would love to say that it is the pursuit of the glory of God, but I'm not sure that I can honestly make that claim. But what is equally disturbing is that I'm not sure I can pinpoint a "central purpose for being," which means that my life may not have much of a purpose, other than just "living." That would be bad.
Romans 13:1-7
First of all, think about when the last time you thanked God for our country's leaders or prayed for their leadership?
It really doesn't matter how you or I feel about George W. Bush. If we are followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to pray for him and all the other leaders in the government, at all levels. I'm not going to try to name any other names, other than the president. Point is, God is in control of everything in this world, and is not the least bit surprised by who is in office or their political views. After November 4, God is not going to be going, "Uhoh, this didn't turn out like I meant for it to..." Nope. It will be exactly as he planned it.
In this passage in Romans, Paul makes some pretty extreme statements concerning the Christian's role in citizenship of a country. Hopefully, we all understand that our primary citizenship is in heaven. But we are all also citizens of some nation, wherever we live.
Paul tells us to "live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible." He closes this passage with this admonition: "Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders."
I've been guilty, time and time again, of disrespecting our leaders. My duty as a citizen is to respect them (all of them, regardless of party affiliation). We are instructed elsewhere in Scripture to pray for them. Well, maybe not...I can't find a passage to support that. Maybe someone can help me out with that.
Nevertheless, we are to respect our leaders. There's a lot of disrespect going on right now for our president (I've joined in frequently). He's made some mistakes. But he still deserves our respect, if for no other reason than that God put him there, just as God is about to put John McCain or Barak Obama in there. Make no mistake. Whoever wins will win because God ordained it.
Respect our leaders. Pray for them. They have a job that is very, very difficult. I sure wouldn't want to be the next president of this country. No way!
Grace and peace, friends.