to submit to authority
“Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their job is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do so with joy, not with sorrow. This certainly will not be to your benefit.” -Hebrews 13:17
We rarely like to hear about the words “submission,” “obedience,” and “authority.” Mainly perhaps, because they have often been abused by those in power. But, perhaps also because each of us struggles with submitting to authority. It is against our nature to follow and serve someone else. However, it is one of the primary ways for the state to progress.
Jesus was an incredible example of someone who lived under authority. The Bible says that he only did what he saw his Father do. (John 5:19) Some other examples of submission to authority are Joseph and Pharaoh, Joshua and Moses, Samuel and Eli, and Elisha and Elijah. If we are married, we are respectfully called to “submit to one another,” with the husband being primarily responsible for the well-being of his family. We also live under the authority of our national and local governments. (Romans 13:1-5)
The challenge in living under authority is that no leader is perfect. But, nevertheless, God can work out His perfect will in our lives under a leader who is imperfectly human. This does not mean that we blindly follow someone just for the fact of this principle, but we usually sincerely respect what is said from the proven leader and do the same.
Simon McIntyre in his book follow the leader Says, “I believe that many people’s destiny has been marred by their inability to hold the line under pressure. We interpret pressure as a reason to run away, while great followers like Joseph allow it to transform people who can carry the weight of the entire dream.”
Do you live under authority? If you have trouble with this, ask God to help you with this today. We can trust Him with our lives by submitting to His leadership.
