Who is the ruler over you? There are a lot of competing forces in this world and each of them are trying to “earn” your allegiance only to rule over you once it has been given to them. I think it is interesting that “rulers” in this world gain your allegiance with promises of gain, only to turn and then expect blind following as they use that allegiance against you.
God is not that type of ruler. First of all, He does not work to “earn” my allegiance. Yes, He sent His son Jesus to die for my sins, but, He only loves me and He gives me salvation and is fully transparent in everything. He does not make promises for tomorrow, only that tomorrow will take care of itself. He does not ask for anything from me, other than love and obedience to His will. He does not ask me to go against authorities of this world, only that when the laws of man do not align with His laws, I should follow His law and accept the consequences of this world.
I have Jesus as my example of what right looks like and follow His example as I traverse this world. Jesus understood that the rulers of this world did not rule over Him. He followed the law of man when it did not conflict with the law of the Father and when it did, He accepted all that was the result of going against it. Jesus made it clear that this world and the rulers in it were not the rulers of Him.
“30I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” – John 14:30-31 (ESV)
As a child of the Father, I too am ruled by Him. There is no claim of “ownership” of me from the rulers of this world. I have given myself to the Father and allow Him to rule over me.
I just chuckled as I was thinking of the last sentence above. I allow the Father to rule over me and yet, I do not feel as though He has His thumb on me in doing so. I have free will. I have free thought. I have contentment. I do not need for anything. Yes, I do have my hands out to Him, but I am only asking for love and comfort and direction, not hand outs. I look to Him for guidance and direction, not for Him to fix it all to my liking. The Father is all things to all people, unlike rulers of this world, who are all things to themselves.
I allow the Father to rule over me because of the personal relationship I have with Him. Jesus had the same type of relationship with the Father and as He is my example, if it is good for Jesus, my brother, then it is good for me.
What is your relationship with rulers? Are you slaves to the rulers of this world and looking for something from them that may never come? What if you approached it as Jesus, knowing that the rulers of this world have no claim on you and that the Father is the one to be your ruler?
Trevor's Thoughts 