Titus 3

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. ‭‭Titus‬ ‭3:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God is the ultimate authority, ruling over all of heaven and earth.  But He has chosen certain people to be rulers over us, according to His master plan.  “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1).  These authority figures in our lives come in many forms: leaders in our church, government officials, teachers, bosses, coaches and parents.  We do not have to agree with every decision that our leaders make, but we are called to stay away from complaining about them, arguing with them, and speaking ill of them.  There are some instances where a ruler will demand us to do something that goes against what the Bible says. For example, in 2020, the CA governor and other leaders were demanding that churches close. However, God says that we should “not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing…” (‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:25‬). So although we obey most decisions from our leaders, we cannot go against what God tells us to do. Peter tells us why we should submit to human authority figures: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-14).  In many of our elections in the United States, it is obvious that there is no perfect candidate for any of the elected offices.  So should we, as Christians, even vote?  The answer is a definite YES!  Voting is our right as Americans, and a responsibility for followers of Christ.  Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).  He also tells us, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).  So if we are the salt and the light of the world, we need to make informed decisions rooted in our values that will “season” and “brighten” our society.  The laws of our nation express what our country approves of and what it forbids.  When we vote, we are deciding who we feel are the best people to make these laws.  We should base our choice on those who are most likely to make decisions that align with our beliefs.  Engaging in political conversations and arguments with others is dangerous territory.  Many people feel passionately about certain candidates or particular issues.  When we discuss volatile issues with others, we must be mindful not to lose the character of Christ or abandon the Fruit of the Spirit.  Ultimately we all need to understand that the political arena will continue to disappoint us because it is a man-made system. God invented systems of government, but politics are used by man to corrupt government.  Voting is important, but there is something we can do that is even more important.  We are called to pray for our nation, especially because many of our leaders and fellow citizens are not dedicated to God and His ways.  We must pray for the Holy Spirit to influence the actions and decisions of our leaders, protect our country from harm, and bring about revival in which the people of the United States will turn back to God.  Remember, revival always starts with us obeying God’s commands and teaching others about Jesus.  We can respectfully disagree with decisions that our leaders make when they are not aligned with what God teaches us in the Bible.  But we must remember to show proper respect to those that God has placed in authority over us, and be careful how we talk about them and the issues that we face in our country today. 

So make sure to exercise your right as an American citizen and vote…then pray and trust God for the future.  “Those who know Your Name trust in You,  for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:10).