277 Years Ago...

Today is the 277th anniversary of President George Washington's birthday. Last week, many people enjoyed a day off as we celebrated "President's Day." It seems fitting for the Christian to spend a moment or two reflecting on the reasons why we, even more than our non-Christian neighbors, should think soberly about these days.

The Bible clearly recognizes the appropriate role of government and sanctions its existence. Paul wrote, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities." The reason Paul thought this to be of such importance is because, "there is no authority except from God." Therefore, we should "render ... to all their due" (Romans 13:1,7). Paul also encouraged prayer to be made on behalf of government officials so that, if at possible, we might "lead a quiet and peaceable life" (I Timothy 2:1-2).

The wise-man Solomon wrote, "righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). Even Jesus, when asked by the Pharisees whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, said, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" (Luke 20:22, 25). If Paul, Solomon and our Lord recognized the importance and legitamacy of government, we too should spend some time thinking about how it affects our lives as Christians.

As servants of God living in the United States, we should be doubly thankful that we have the freedom to worship as we wish. Many Christians, living in far-away lands, are without these freedoms which we enjoy so much. We should pray for our leaders and ask God to aid them in ruling in such a way that God's commands might be more easily followed and that the decisions made by our leaders are made in light of His holy will.

Christians often voice our criticisms about the decisions made by our nation's leaders. And Christians are often quick to criticize our leaders. And, these things are appropriate, right, and necessary! What we have to be careful of, however, is thinking that making a difference is either impossible or the responsibility of someone else.

If anybody should be willing to stand up and support candidates because their views reflect the will of God – the Christian should! If anyone should be aware of the news and the goings-on in Washington -- the Christian should! If anyone should be considering God's will and its place in society -- the Christian should!

The Psalmist asked, "Why do the nations rage?" (Psalm 2:1). We will likely continue to see nations rage and fight, and also find that we are at war with the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). As Christians, let us be thankful for our country and how God has blessed us with abundant opportunities to freely serve Him. And, let us never forget our responsibility to be aware and involved and how, in doing so, we might make our country and our world a better place to live and more fruitful for the work of Christ.