"O Taste and See that the Lord is good!" - Ps. 34:8

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Twenty-Five Days of Praise- Day Two: Citizenship

Romans 13:1-- "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority, except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."

Today I sit here thankful for my citizenship.  First and foremost, my citizenship is in Heaven, and I am secure because of that.  I have always loved the verse in Psalm 20:7 that says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."  I am thankful that no matter what an earthly government does, I serve the King of Kings-- and He is sovereign over all things including governments.


But does that mean that I have no responsibility here in America- in this time and place?  I have always struggled with those that have the philosophy that patriotism as an American is incompatible with being a citizen of Heaven.  As the verse from Romans 13:1 asserts,  I am subject to the earthly authority that has been put in place by God.  I am a citizen in America because God sovereignly ordained that, and I thank God for the freedom to speak, worship, and vote.  I will vote today, because I have been given that right and responsibility, and I will tell my children what a privilege it is to vote my conscience and have some say in our government.  All the while, I will pray hard.  I will pray that God would have mercy on us as a nation.  I will pray that my children will also have the opportunity to vote when they get older, and I will pray that Americans would come to realize that the solution to the majority of the problems we face is not found in government, but in Christ.  


Today, I am exceedingly thankful for my citizenship and the right to vote, knowing all the while that every authority that exists has been instituted by God.

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