Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 13 through 17:
13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Honor is to be given where honor is due. This means we recognize the legitimacy of government as a part of the established order of creation going all the way back to Eden. Emperors, and kings, and presidents have their place; and so does the rule of law. We honor the merits of human authority.
We "honor the emperor", Paul says, but we "fear God." That means our ultimate allegiance is to God, for it is to God that in the end we will have to stand before and with all the rulers and kings and presidents and paupers of this world.
We have a little over a month left of the Presidency of Donald J. Trump. At noon on January 20 Joe Biden will assume the Office of the President.
We honor this Office. We respect its authority -- even if we do not respect the person in it. We respect the Office of the President; and we pray for the President, and all other governors, and mayors, and persons of authority also so that we may live peaceably and well with one another and with all the world.
Much has been made in recent months about the tradition of peaceful transition of power in the United States of America. It is a strong, and venerable tradition and one that has kept us in tact over four centuries.
Let us remember that it is we the people who keep this hallowed tradition. So may we the people guard and protect it.
May we the people honor the President, and fear the LORD.
NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow we begin the book of Hebrews chapters 1-6.
Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX.
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