For respect for the Office of the Presidency to remain high
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
�Romans 13:6-7
Awesome God, only You are worthy of praise, glory and honor! You reign over all things; You are exalted high and holy. Only You are lifted above all powers and principalities, and my heart rises to bless and praise you today.
God, our culture is sometimes brazen in our disrespect for those in authority over us. We criticize and bring down those who serve us or whose decisions do not serve our agendas. Lord, I ask today that You reverse this trend in our country, bringing a great sense of respect and honor to the Office of the President and all who work alongside him. May we learn again to respect and honor those who serve us, lifting them in heartfelt prayer daily. In Your holy name, amen.
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Verse 1
1 Timothy 1:3-7
Today, we begin looking at Paul's letters of advice to Timothy, a young disciple.
The major point of today's reading is love. "Love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God." How many of us have managed to achieve that?? I'm not sure I have, at least not consistently. I may have sporadic, random moments of this kind of love, but for the most part, I always seem to have some kind of self-interest at heart.
All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through:
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.Peace, re-assurance, pleasure are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:
I talk of love--a scholar's parrot may talk Greek--
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.Only that now you have taught me (but how late) my lack.
I see the chasm. And everything you are was making
My heart into a bridge by which I might get back
From exile, and grow man. And now the bridge is breaking.For this I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains
You give me are more precious than all other gains.
That is a poem by C.S. Lewis, called "As the Ruin Falls." It immediately came to mind as I was reading this passage of Scripture.
Some of you may know it as a song by Thrice. I first heard it as a song by Phil Keaggy. But the poem was written by C.S. Lewis.
Going further, Paul says, "Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven't the remotest idea of what they're holding forth with such imposing eloquence."
Ouch.
So, once again, the main point is simply...love.
Jamie, I thank you very much for your encouraging words. You are a blessing!
Grace and peace, friends!