For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 

It’s hard to escape the fact that we just finished another presidential election. I know that this topic can bring up a lot of feelings, but whether you feel good, bad, or indifferent, we have a new (well, returning) President for the next 4 years. The President of the United States is the highest authority in the executive branch of the federal government and is Commander in Chief of the United States Armed forces. There is much power that comes along with this title including the ability to negotiate treaties, appoint officials, grant pardons, and sign bills into law or veto them among many other things. However, despite this powerful role, there is a limit to what the President can do and there are checks and balances to prevent misuse of this authority.

Regardless of your feelings towards our current or any past president, 1 Peter 2:13 tells us to submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority and Romans 13:1 says  Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. We do have a responsibility to obey the laws of the land and respect the authority that has been given to others. However, there is a power higher than any other that should have the ultimate authority in the life of the believer. Matthew 28:18 says Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me". As we see in our key verse above, Jesus is the embodiment of God, so He has all of the same power and authority that God does. He is the ultimate Commander in Chief and this is true whether it is acknowledged in someone's life or not. This is affirmed in Philippians 2:10-11 which states at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In Joshua 24:15, he challenges the Israelites to choose which god they will serve and affirms that he and his household will be serving the one and only true God. We too have a choice of whom we will serve on this earth and it has eternal consequences. No matter who is in the Oval Office, they are not our savior and have no control over where we go at the end of our earthly life. This is important to keep in mind as we struggle (or rejoice) in accepting the decisions that are currently being made in the White House. Keeping an eternal perspective and knowing that we serve the One who is greater than all can give us peace in the midst of chaos.

Is Christ the head of your life? Does He have ultimate authority over how you think, feel, and act? When is the last time you immediately obeyed when you sensed that He was calling you to do something? Some may find obedience easy, but for many of us, it can be challenging if we're being honest. We all know that there are laws we need to abide by and there are consequences if we fail to do so. Take for example, speeding. We know that we can get a ticket if we go over the speed limit, but sometimes we may push the limit if we don't see a cop car around and have somewhere to be (I know I'm not the only one who's been guilty of this!). However, if there is a cop around, we tend to drive more cautiously and pay attention to how fast we are driving. Maybe we find it harder to obey God because we don't see Him in the flesh or maybe we don't recognize the potential consequences of not obeying Him. In John 14:15 Jesus stated, "if you love me, keep my commands". In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel stated "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams". 

Thankfully, we’re not left alone to do this. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us who not only teaches, guides, and empowers us, but also convicts us of sin and transforms us.  It is the Holy Spirit that can give us the inner check we need to obey God when no one is watching and keep us on the right path. However, if we do sin (which we all will at some point or another), the Holy Spirit can lead us into repentance (turning away from sin).

What area(s) of your life do you need to submit to God’s ultimate power and authority? If you can’t think of any, I invite you to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you and then go a step further and ask for the strength to submit these things. You won’t regret it.

God, help us to honor you as the ultimate authority in our lives. Will you show us if there are areas where we need to be obedient and help us to obey swiftly? It is in your name we pray, amen.