Cheating this week...letting Charles Stanley do all the work :) I figured this passage from his devotional magazine (InTouch Magazine: Conquering Your Fears July 2009) would work great for the recently passed July 4th holiday! Check it out...leave some comments...communicate with Jesus more this week than you ever have before!
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"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword of nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
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 13:1-7
If you catalogued every country of the world, you’d find many different styles and structures of government. But all, from dictatorships to democracies, have this in common: their leaders have been given their positions of power by the Lord (Dan. 2:21).
From a scriptural point of view, everyone with political authority is a servant of God for the good of that society. And while the Lord will hold them accountable for how they govern, His Word also details the Christian’s responsibilities as a citizen.
First, believers should be law-abiding. God’s children are expected to obey whether the issue is paying taxes or driving according to the speed limit (Rom. 13:7; Matt. 22:21).
Second, the body of Christ is to pray for government officials. First Timothy 2 urges us to make “entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings . . . for kings and all who are in authority.” While one purpose is “that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity,” God also “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (vv. 1-4).
Third, we have a responsibility to use actions and words to bear a righteous influence upon our government. Notice that I did not say “dictate” or “dominate”; rather, we are to cooperate by working within the system to effect healthy change.
Jesus called His followers “the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13), because salt changes the flavor of whatever it touches. The substance is also a healing agent as well as a preservative. God can bring health to a nation through citizens whose first priority is allegiance to the King of Kings.
