Wouldn't it be nice if God showed us who our leaders should be today with a miraculous sign like a staff that budded, blossomed, and produced fruit? Whether they are political leaders, leaders in our office, or those in church leadership, I'd love to see some unmistakable confirmation that God has chosen the person to lead.
Instead, we have competition, campaigning, colluding, and conniving (I'll let you ponder how that plays out in government, the office, and the church!)
God hasn't changed. If He chose to provide a miraculous sign of his choice, He could. But He tells us in Romans that there is no authority except which He ordained. That requires us to adjust our thinking a bit. There are some authorities that we have a hard time believing are God-ordained. But God's ultimate purpose for the leaders He establishes is not our comfort or our freedom. It isn't for our prosperity or our physical health. The leaders in our church aren't established to be sure we are comfortable with the music chosen or unoffended by preaching. Our business leaders aren't established to ensure our personal financial or career goals.
Instead, God establishes leaders who He uses to grow our relationship with Him. Sometimes that is through good times and praise, but often it is through hardship and suffering that we grow the most in our faith. It's when our relationship with God is the only thing we have, that we learn it is the only thing we need.
Instead, we have competition, campaigning, colluding, and conniving (I'll let you ponder how that plays out in government, the office, and the church!)
God hasn't changed. If He chose to provide a miraculous sign of his choice, He could. But He tells us in Romans that there is no authority except which He ordained. That requires us to adjust our thinking a bit. There are some authorities that we have a hard time believing are God-ordained. But God's ultimate purpose for the leaders He establishes is not our comfort or our freedom. It isn't for our prosperity or our physical health. The leaders in our church aren't established to be sure we are comfortable with the music chosen or unoffended by preaching. Our business leaders aren't established to ensure our personal financial or career goals.
Instead, God establishes leaders who He uses to grow our relationship with Him. Sometimes that is through good times and praise, but often it is through hardship and suffering that we grow the most in our faith. It's when our relationship with God is the only thing we have, that we learn it is the only thing we need.
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