Day 22 - Under Who's Authority

This might sting . . .  
We’ve all been there, not wanting to submit to an authority, whether it was as a child and disobeying your mom every time she said “Put your seatbelt on” or “eat your vegetables” or even the infamous “don’t mess with that bee-hive!” but ya still did and ended getting stung once or twice. No? Just me? Well nevertheless we feel as if we know better and what’s best has to be MY way. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s just not the case.
So who do we submit to?
         Great question! The bible gives us several authorities to which we should be submissive towards, in 1st Peter 2:13-14 we see that God has placed authority over us to ensure his righteousness: “Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God,” Now we can see in todays’ society that our authority figures aren’t always righteous however our job and purpose is to place a trust so deep in God that even if corruption, injustice and faults occur we may still be in submission to His authority trusting that he will carry us through. In the following chapter 1st Peter 3:1-2 we see that God wants wives to be submissive to their husbands: “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” Now in todays’ culture a lot of women interpret this to be some sort of oppression where in fact its an act of obedience and worship unto the Lord. Peter even states that the life of a husband who disobeys and is faithless can be won over because of this submission.
Submit to who, you?
Christians are also called to submit to each other, our brothers and sisters, in a form of respect for one another and “out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21. We tend to look out for ourselves first, its human nature, but if we can learn to put our pride aside and submit to one another we can accomplish a lot in our walk with Christ. How we serve our employers or people who are in a position of authority over us is another important step into our submission with Christ, “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man ... Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” Ephesians 6:5-8. We see that everything goes back to obeying as we were obeying Christ. Paul not only mentions us but our “masters” as well, so in either position no one has an excuse to not submit to Gods authority, our heavenly master.
Take time today to…
Reflect on your own life,
Who do you submit to?
 
Who don’t you submit to?
 
Do you do this as if you were submitting to Christ with a sincere heart?
 
Take time to pray about the areas where you just need to let go and trust God whole-heartedly.