Luke 21:2-3
“For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Throughout my life I have been in positions of authority. Watching actual police programs on TV we see offenders blaming the officers who arrest them instead of admitting they were in the wrong and submitting to authority. I once served as a police officer and met people who became agitated and belligerent when they were confronted. It was evident that they had just been guilty of some type of violation, but they refused to be responsible for their actions.
In each of the positions of authority I came under the authority of someone who was above me. Authority comes as a result of being assigned to a position of authority and not entirely based upon merit. Each authority figure has someone who is in authority above them. They in turn have someone they answered to and up the chain of command it progresses. Societies experience chaos and disintegration when people demand to do their own thing without regard to the consequences.
More and more, we observe people in this old sin-sick world that detest any form of authority. They rebel and protest in order to reject the rules of the society of which they are a part. The rejection of authority is anarchy. That is not good!
The final authority is God! Every human authority will one day stand facing the Judge of all the earth. Our failure to recognize and submit to His authority has eternal consequences. I for one do not want to have my own way when it comes to the will of God. I choose to allow Him to be my final authority.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil