It’s not April 15th, and there are no elections on the immediate horizon, so why did I preach about God and Country last Sunday morning?
Obviously the answer is that in our study of Romans, we came to the 13th chapter. It’s there that Paul speaks of God’s role in the establishment of civil governments and of our responsibilities to those in authority over us. But what Paul had to say was in response to questions that the believers in Rome were struggling with at the time. So shouldn’t we wait until we are struggling with similar questions before looking at Paul’s instruction on the matter?
True, it would seem more relevant if I preached on this when we were all thinking about taxes and elections. But then again, shouldn’t we know what God expects of us long before we are faced with an immediate decision? It certainly wouldn’t be wise to wait until we were in the heat of an argument to find out what God has to say about murder, or in the heat of passion to consider what He has to say about adultery. It’s vital that we know what God has to say long before we’re called upon to make a decision.
I had written the above on Monday, before leaving for a dental appointment after breaking a tooth on Sunday. The break was welcomed, in writing the article of course, not the tooth, because I wasn’t sure how I was going to finish it. I was, however, giving thought to how our Sunday School program prepares children for life by grounding them in God’s Word. Then this morning I read the following in The Daily Message. It’s from the 119th Psalm, and finishes my article perfectly.
How can a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it.
God Bless, Rick
Chatham Christian Church 