Reading your Bible for Today January 18

January 18: Romans 13:1-7

KJV Key Verse: Romans 13:6
6 For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

Devotion:
One thing we often forget is that God has allowed all things to happen in this world; not meaning He has done all those things but He has allowed them to happen. Because He has allowed things to happen, we should submit to what He has allowed – in other words, we have to submit to the rulers and governments. If we are not going to, then we are resisting against the will of God!

We do not have to be terrified by the police, government or tax office unless we are doing something wrong against them. We have nothing to fear from those who have been allowed into power by God so long as they themselves are working justly. Do you notice how many people are kept from doing evil because of the powers that are in control? What would happen if there were no police? How many people would simply run riot? We have the benefit of those who are in power so we should work towards making sure they stay in power!

We need to show we are Christians by acting in accordance with God's wishes. We must not use trickery, fraud, smuggling or illegal dealings to get our way for that is all working against what God has ordained to be required in our society. By working against God's ordained, we are robbing our very neighbours who continue to do the right thing because they end up doing more to sustain the government because we are not keeping up our end of the bargain!

We need to be able to step forward and show people that we are the Christians who do listen to God's wishes by working toward keeping peace and justice in our neighbourhood. We need to show them we do listen to everything God has ordained. We need to set an example for others to be able to follow. Our actions against powers may well be stopping others from knowing Christ! There are always going to be exceptions... For those we have to look to someone who does have the power to make a difference. God can make that difference, even if He has to use another worldly power to carry out His wishes.

Points to Ponder:
Would you describe yourself as rebellious?

Who is having to pay for your rebellion?