I Guess That Leaves You!
Romans 13:3 “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:”
Today, I want to ask you the question, “What are you afraid of?” Are you afraid of being singled out or not part of the group? Are you afraid of being rejected or unwanted? We all like being accepted, make no mistake about that, but what about the times we are rejected for doing what’s right? I’m sure many of us have been in that situation before, and I’m sure we all will be there again. But why do these circumstances keep presenting themselves to us? I will sum it up in one word – Yoke!
You see, to control a strong creation of God, such as an ox, a person has to put a yoke on that ox to tell it which direction he or she wants it to go. Now the same holds true for you. You are a mighty person whom God has created. So to get you to be like a puppet on a string, some people will bring evil ideas and opportunities to you just to control you. As the text states, “rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.” If we operate in the evil, shameful, sinful acts, then we position ourselves to be manipulated and yes, terrorized.
Now, our text continues with the question “Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?” In other words, “Now that you know how others can terrorize you, are you still going to place yourself in that position? Are you still going to play with the idea of doing things to be accepted by the people who are out to manipulate you?” My answer to this is, “No.”
I’ve been in the situation where I was persecuted for doing wrong and persecuted for doing right. If I had my choice, I would take the persecution for doing right any day of the week simply because doing what is right never brings with it a yoke of bondage, shame, embarrassment, or low-self esteem. What does it bring? Praise. You see, even the heathen bosses are looking for someone to step up and be counted trustworthy. They need someone to watch the shop while they are out, and since they can’t trust the crooks they hired, I guess that leaves you.
Sure, you might be called the “straight arrow,” “the reverend,” “church boy/girl,” or “Mr./Ms. Holier than Thou.” But during the bashing there is something going on. Those seeds are being planted into the minds of people who need someone to trust with the responsibilities, equipment, and staff. And being that promotion comes from God, and you seem like the most likely person to be trusted, I guess that leaves you, again!