“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)
I’m often amazed (not surprised) by the actions of some of my own “Christian” friends as they openly refuse to accept the authority of the laws that God has given us to live by. A hint to the importance that Paul places on our obedience to the law and to the governing authorities is found in the opening sentence. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.(period)” No debate, no degree of importance or ranking of the laws of government, just a period, end of statement and discussion. Paul then moves quickly to establish the source of such authority (God) and to declare that those who are disobedient will be (not maybe) judged accordingly.
Perhaps the most disregarded of all government ordinances is the speed limit. There I said it! Yes God cares about speeding because He cares about disobedience and whether or not we are men and women of integrity; are we really surrendered to Him and His authority, or only to what we consider important?
Granted, in the grand scheme of things speeding is not as terrible as a bank robbery, but God is not looking at degrees of impunity, He is a God of absolutes and He is looking for those who want to live with absolute integrity toward His word. It’s the little in-consistencies in our relationship with God that begin to tear it apart, take care of those while they are small; be obedient to the little things and the rest will take care of itself. Disregard for those small details is symptomatic of an insincere devotion to our Lord. Solomon said it best, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines.” (Song of Solomon 2:15)
Come on folks, leave a few minutes early. You’ll avoid most of the crazies who are texting their bosses to say that they are late, and the makeup artists and hair dressers, or perhaps that one guy brushing his teeth. You will also know that you didn’t disappoint God by endangering others and avoided judgment in the process. n
