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.

Romans 13:1
Friday morning, I made the decision to flout the law in Michigan by driving up to
our northern camp. This was not an easy decision. We needed some tools which
were stored up there and our truck had become the storage shed for a large
load of things that needed to go up there. We also wanted to know that the water
system was going to start up OK once we could start going up there again. At the
moment my decision was made, Michigan was under an executive order prohibiting
travel between residences. Not only did I did not agree with that order, but it was
inconvenient.

And so, I became a criminal. I made no effort to conceal my crime. I drove boldly
up I-75, knowing that if I were to be stopped, I would be completely frank about
what I was doing and why. But I was not stopped. And then, while taking care of
things up north, Michigan’s governor rescinded the executive order. My drive back
downstate that same afternoon was perfectly legal.

What I did was wrong, and I regret it. Had I waited one more day or even a few
more hours, I would have been able to take that trip without any risk or guilt. My
wrong went well beyond the possibility of being ticketed for a misdemeanor crime.
For me, it was a sin against God.

We currently live in the most politically divided times I have ever encountered.
There seems to be no common ground or forum for respectful debate. Political
beliefs and loyalties notwithstanding, we are reminded by the Apostle Paul about
our obligation to remain subject to our government and recognize that all authority
ultimately comes from God. We are not asked to change our beliefs or to agree
with our government. It is, rather, a matter of submission. Our submission is to
God, not man. In submitting to God, we are reminded of the need to be subject to
the worldly authorities as well. (We are also commanded to pray for them in 1
Timothy 2!)

When we follow Jesus, we become part of God’s kingdom – an eternal kingdom
that transcends and eclipses the kingdoms of this world. Our loyalty is to our
King, who assures us that the trials and travails of these times are going to come to
an end and that our place in His eternal kingdom will never end. We are in the
world but not of it. We are also not placed above it or beyond it. God requires us
to serve with respect to the worldly authorities, whether we agree with them or not,
up to the point where we are ordered to act against the commandments of God.
Jesus did not come two thousand years ago to fix the world’s political problems, but
rather to establish a new Kingdom. That Kingdom is here and now, and it will
remain long after all the kingdoms and authorities of this world are gone.

We belong to that Kingdom, because of the grace and love of Jesus Christ, our King.

Pete Celano – Campus Shepherd