Your Daily Devotional for August 13, 2007

 

August 13,  2007

 

 

Honoring Authority

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

 

Exodus 20:12

 

 

A sixteen-year-old boy wanted to be a sailor. Although His mother took him to the dock, at the last minute, she said no. She told him she just did not have peace about it. Despite his longing to go to sea, he came home with his mother. He never became the captain of a ship, but he did command an entire navy as the President of the United States of America. His name was George Washington. Because George Washington honored his mother's decision, God honored him.

 

The Ten Commandments have been a great priority for successful families and nations throughout the centuries. As people have honored God by obeying His commands, God has honored them and blessed their lives. This commandment is the only one with a promise directly connected to it. God promises that as we honor our parents and those in authority over us, He will bless us. This shows how important this particular command is to God.

 

God has placed in each of our lives certain authority that we are to honor and respect. It is easy to talk about loving and honoring other people in the abstract, but it is difficult when they do not treat us fairly. We must each realize that God has placed us exactly where we are in regards to authority. Our responsibility is not to understand why God placed us where we are, but to honor those He has placed over us.

 

We should also heed the counsel of the authority in our lives. God desires that we would honor the authority He has placed in our lives by obeying them. The word honor means "to give weight to or to regard as heavy." We are to value the opinion of our authority. It is sometimes easy to hear the opinion of others and disregard it. We tend to try to work things out on our own, yet God desires that we listen to those over us. We should not take their opinions and suggestions lightly.

 

When making tough decisions, God desires that we would honor our authority by seeking their counsel. Proverbs 1:8 says, "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother." God has placed people in our lives to guide and direct us. We must honor their authority by getting their advice during difficult decisions.

 

President Lincoln once got caught up in a situation in which he wanted to please a politician and therefore issued a command to transfer certain regiments. When the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, received the order, he refused to carry it out. He said that the President was a fool. Lincoln was told what Stanton had said, and he replied, "If Stanton said I'm a fool, then I must be, for he is nearly always right. I'll see for myself." As the two men talked, the President quickly realized that his decision was a serious mistake, and without hesitation he withdrew it.

 

Secretary of War Stanton was not over President Lincoln in position, but President Lincoln respected the advice and knowledge Mr. Stanton had. It may take humility to learn from those God has placed in a position of influence around you, but God has placed them there for us to learn from.

 

Are you honoring the authority in your life by seeking their advice and heeding their counsel? God has placed authority in our lives to help us! Ask God to help you as you seek to honor authority in your life today.

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 87-88 • Romans 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

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