SWHW Bible Reading Plan: November 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Lauren Diggs:

Authority. Depending on your experience with it, it can be a position that’s intimidating to you or makes you feel safe. Maybe some of both. And right out of the gate in Chapter 13, Paul hones in on the authority in our lives:

“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

This verse, and the ones that follow, ultimately give us a foundational truth about God’s character: He is sovereign. There is nothing and no one that will ever trump the authority of God because He is ruler over all. 

So what does this mean for us who are under earthly authority and in some cases hold positions of authority ourselves? Well, He tells us a little further into the chapter in verses 8-10: 

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” 

Being subject to the authority God has placed over us or being in a position of authority ourselves can be hard and at times seem impossible. But if we are operating from a place that loves God first and then our neighbor, we will carry out the Law in obedience to God regardless of who or what is happening around us. Our governing authorities take their rightful place in our lives when we put God in His rightful place, and we love our neighbors as ourselves.

We have positions of authority and laws because again, we live in a fallen and broken world. As imitators of Christ, we are commanded to love God above all else and love our neighbor as ourselves. When we love like that, our actions will not only fulfill the authority and the law set before us, but they will point people to Jesus and His saving grace. Love must be the driving force behind all we do and say.  

God is love. And because God is love, love is the final authority. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your sovereignty. I know You always have the final word. Forgive me for the times I’ve placed earthly authority above You. Forgive me for the times I’ve taken my position of authority and placed it above You. You reign over all, and everything You do, You say, and You allow is for Your glory and my good. Help me to love others as You have commanded me to love. When I want to do the opposite, convict me quickly and fill me with Your love and compassion. Help love be the driving force behind the choices I make today with my family, in my work, and with my neighbors. I love You, Jesus. Amen.