Submission

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” 1 Peter 2:13-23

Submission is never easy. It is a word that is not spoken in our culture. Submission is practiced on the surface but not in the heart. For how do we submit to an unrighteous ruler or administration or to someone who we believe to be hateful, misguided, or simply wrong?

If our focus is only on earthly things… on the unrighteousness of others… or seemingly unrighteousness of others… then we miss the mark with God. For it is God who raises up rulers and those in authority, it is by his hand that they come into power and through them he dictates. They are instruments in the Masters hand to shape our present and the future. To bring to pass His grand design. Therefore, it is needful for us to… submit.

Submission is an act of our will. A will that too often is stubborn, selfish, and rebellious. It takes the heavy hand of abusive power to break our carnal will and to turn our focus higher… to God. By our very nature we will not change when all is well, when all is good, when all is going our way… we need pressure placed on us to be re-formed, to change.

Submission teaches us faith. Faith is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). We need faith to see believe in God through the storms of life and “beside the still waters” (Psa. 23:2). Belief in God and trust in Him raises our focus to His will, his desire, and His purpose for our lives.

His purpose? To create in us the character of his Son, Jesus Christ. Did he threaten? No, he kept silent. Silence in the midst of great pain is a mark of maturity… maturity I’ve yet to reach. Have you? Can you patiently and silently wait for the waters to part? Can you silently walk through the fiery furnace? Can you endure quietly and wait for God or must you react?

I’ll admit that I cannot. I gripe and complain. I fume and fuss. I get irritated, anger, and sometimes just simply mad… because I perceive that I’ve been wronged or that someone stepped on my toes, or that I’ve been hurt… how petty and how un-Christ-like I am… Can you honestly conclude the same?

Yet, there is mercy, there is forgiveness for wrongs, for mistakes and for sin on my part and on yours. Submitting is a learning process, we learn nothing in one day… our patient Father leads us and changes us trial after trial, test after test… “Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” Psalm 44:22.

Why? We love Him. We love Him more than we love ourselves. We love Him more than being right. We love Him enough to turn the other cheek… as Jesus once said… “I tell you not to resist evil. Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” Matthew 5:39.