Obey Rulers and Authorities

Daily Devotional – Thursday, November 16, 2023
Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work.
Titus 3:1 (NKJV)

From the back seat of the bus, I heard noises coming from the front. A passenger had refused to pay the exact fare and was insulting the conductor. Interestingly, it turned out the obstinate and quarrelsome passenger was a popular preacher in town. What an embarrassment to the gospel!

Be Subject to Your Leaders

Had this preacher lived in the First Century following Christ’s ascension to heaven, she would have had a difficult time. For example, Paul instructed Titus, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work.” (Titus 3:1).

In his writings, Paul insisted that God had ordained earthly leaders into their current positions; hence, they deserved the respect and obedience of everyone, including believers. Indeed, Christians were supposed to pray for secular leaders as well as church leaders, as both sets of leaders had received their authority from God.

A Call to Obedience

We must obey leaders as long as they do not command or persuade us to disobey God. Defiance toward authorities is tantamount to rebellion against God. It is a fallacy to claim we are children of God yet despise those He has put in charge of our nations and communities.

We cannot be genuine Christians yet refuse to pay taxes, disregard traffic rules, participate in unlawful civil disobedience, and so on. Our calling demands that we cooperate with leaders at all levels of society and participate in activities that are for the good of the larger society.

Obey Rulers and Authorities

By so doing, we will be in a good position to convince non-believers that our faith in God is genuine. The testimony of a loving and loveable Christian is almost impossible to resist, even for the most obstinate of non-believers. Today, review your attitude towards civic and societal leaders and ask yourself whether your character and attitude can win them over to Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, bless the leaders you have placed over me at all levels and teach me to obey them according to Your will.