Sunday, 09 November 2008

  • Fear God and Honor the President

    Guest post submitted by angelbaby12487

    Fear God and Honor the President My brother Michael wrote this and gave me permission to post it.

    I was at work tonight going through the routine of what I usually do. I see a lot of the same people come in everyday. It just so happened I saw the same sweet old lady that comes in almost everyday. Like normal I said "hi." She said hi back and she started to continue her shopping. She stopped turned around and said, "So did the person you voted for get in?"  I replied with a disappointed look on my face "no..."

    She nodded her head understanding my reason for being disappointed. She replied to me with a smile on her face and said "But you know, you still have to honor him and pray for him." I smiled back at her and said "That's right, fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2:17)

    It got me thinking. I hadn't really honored the president in my heart. I was upset because he didn't have the morals I thought a leader should have for this country. We are allowed to disagree with people. We are entitled to our own opinion but we still have to honor and respect those that are in authority whether they are someone we like or whether they are doing right or wrong.
    On my way home, I was trying to think of some Bible characters that had to honor a king they didn't like. The story of David came to mind.

    David had been anointed king and Saul who was still king was chasing David trying to kill him. David kept running for years. David had the chance to kill Saul but he didn't because he realized that even though Saul wasn't living a godly life, God had made him king and he still had to honor and respect him.

    So maybe you don't agree with Obama, however we still need to pray for him and have respect for him.
     
     
    Can you pray for and honor someone despite the differences you have with them?  

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Comments (26)

  • Pickwick12@xanga

    Great post. This is how I feel about Obama. I pray for anointing on him and for his safety and the safety of his family, even though I do not agree with him on a lot of issues. I recognize that God allowed him to be elected, and I honor him. Thanks for the good reminder.
  • nicolevw@xanga

    Excellent post.  I agree with you too.  Just this morning, in a British Columbian, Canadian church, we prayed for the new president-elect - that God would give him wisdom to serve and govern with diligence and with honour to God - his Creator.   Although we are called to honour and even obey our leaders, we do need to remember that in all things we must obey God above man.    So, I can respect and honour any leader, as long as they don't ask me to do something that goes against the Word of God.    So God help Mr. Barack Obama abide by His Word so that Christians will not have to choose between him and God!
  • Journaling_Susan@xanga

    This is a good post.
    We should fear God.
    We should be praying for our next President to be.
    President Obama and his family need our prayers.
    Blessings to you.
  • Pieces_of_a_Melody@xanga

    Amen to that! It really bothers me that Christians bash leaders. We are Christians! We should not be like the world! We should honor and respect the man in power, whether he was our first choice or not. After all, Romans 13:1 says, "Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God." No, I do not agree with a lot of what Barack Obama says, but that doesn't matter. God put him in a position of power for a reason. Who am I to think that I know more than God? We, as Christians especially, need to honor and pray for our President. His task will not be an easy one, he needs all the prayer he can get! 
  • NikBv@xanga

    ... it's no wonder those up top like Christian constituents. 
  • seriously_meredith@xanga

    Thank you for this post. This is something that I have been having a problem with this past week and I'm glad that God led me to your post. Thank you!
  • StrawberryRose53@xanga

    Heaven forbid that God come down on a charriot of fire and taketh his wrath upon you for thinking that you are God of all designs.


    God does everything, including give you thoughts to think.  Let us take a moment to thank him.


    I fear God's wisdom against my stupidity. 
  • musicmom60@xanga

    You are so right, and yes, we do need to be praying for him and his family, as they get ready to make this huge change in their lives.  Regardless of what we think of his politics or religion or morals, he still is a husband and father, and will soon be President, and he needs our prayers and our respect.  
  • too_pretty_to_die@xanga

    sure.  i honor people because i respect them... i don't need to agree with someone to be respectful.  then again, i voted for Obama, so this isn't much of an issue for me =) 

    on the other hand, i didn't consider Bush worthy of my respect.  you need to do a lot more than gain a title to earn that.
  • Jedi_Master_713@xanga

    I try to hope for good things for all people, and I try to pray in general for everyone (though not really Chritian prayer, because I'm not Christian) even if I don't agree with them.  I do think it's important to earn respect, though.  Power doesn't automatically mean respect.  There are people I don't respect, but I try to have hope for them.


    -- Jedi Master 713
  • Stephanie_J_B@xanga

    Ah...good points. I need to remember this...
  • SwordAndSacrifice@xanga

    "Can you pray for and honor someone despite the differences you have with them?"


    I just spent the last four years doing it. Doesn't look like I'll be able to stop with this administration.
  • georgeme89@xanga

    Bush is a cold blooded killer... some of you (with the exeption of a few, notably the comment right above) act like this change of regime is someone negative.  I disagree with Obama about about almost everything he stands for politically but saying this change is a challenge because he has different morals...???


    What exactly are those different morals?  Bush and is murderous lackeys are killing people in Iraq and quite a few other countries everyday.  Maybe its okay though... they are just Muslim.  We should send them straight to hell rather than convert.  There is no reasoning with anyone who isn't a christian.......
  • sweet_sianara@xanga

    i definitely feel that way. we should always respect our leaders. i just wish this nation would have done this with our current president. im in a state of aggravation right now because people are like "obamas president now so you gotta honor him!" yet those same people bash bush... how convenient.
  • sunshinekl@xanga

    @georgeme89@xanga - Obama wants to sign FoCa into law as soon as he gets into office.  Not only will this strip each states right to pass legislation limiting abortion but it will in FACT increase the number of abortions that are performed every year.  Currently in this country over a million abortions are being performed every year.   So in the last 7 years over 7 million innocent babies have been killed. The number of people that have died during the 7 years that we have been at war is no where close to that.  Some of those lives lost in the war have been innocent lives but the majority of those lives lost are people that are either terrorists in their own country or soldiers that are trying to prevent them from committing acts of terrorism.   Please understand I am not justifying the war b/c I don't have enough information to truly know whether the war was a just war or not, but frankly neither do you.  Based on my discussions with soldiers and many stories I have read there is much more Good then Harm going on in Iraq b/c we are there.  Many lives are being saved.   I do not believe that it does not matter that lives are being lost b/c those lives are Muslim lives.   I have spoke to so many people who scream about the lives being lost over in the middle east but are only concerned about the American lives.  They have out right said they don't care about what happens in the Middle East and that those people can all kill each other.   That attitude is horrendous and is, in my opinion, the worst way to look at things. 

    In response to the post in general

    My issues with Obama do not just have to do with where he is morally though.   I also have a problem with his economic plans, and his desire to have the Fairness Doctrine passed which will erode our Freedom of Speech. Not to mention that, although he says that he wants to unify this country and work with those on the other side of the aisle he has absolutely no record of doing that.  So why should I believe him.  

    My feelings are that as a Christian I am called to respect him simply b/c of the fact that I believe that God allowed him to become our next leader.   Just like I respected our current President, even when I did not understand or agree with what he was doing.   I will continue to pray for our leader no matter who it is.  I will find it more difficult to pray for the President-Elect b/c his morals (or lack of) are so far from mine and that added to the power he will have CAN be disastrous for our country.  I am praying that God will change his heart. 

  • jseaglin@xanga

    @sunshinekl@xanga - maybe in that process God will change your heart too!


    Romans.....

    Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.
    So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you will get along well.
    The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong.
    So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.

  • sunshinekl@xanga

    @jseaglin@xanga - I am SURE that my heart will be changed b/c prayer only brings us closer to God.  I am looking forward to the ways God will change me!
  • jseaglin@xanga

    Bless you ! it is scary sometimes but all we have to do is the best we can.

  • jseaglin@xanga

    "Please understand I am not justifying the war b/c I don't have enough information to truly know whether the war was a just war or not, but frankly neither do you."


    This might help go tp PBS.ORG look at Bill Moyers and watch 


    http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10102008/watch3.html
  • ajswartzfeger

    I enjoyed this post. A lot of my friends are very bitter about Obama being the new president, but I feel that even though he will probably make a LOT of discisions that I'm not going to agree with, I still have to submit to him. In our church we are just finishing a study of the book of Daniel and I learned that in the first three chapters of that book, Daniel had to really trust God, but also had to submit to authority over him. It's a great story and I love to read it over and over again. Look it over sometime.
  • sdj777@xanga

    when the election came in, i was disappointed...  even tho i've been saying that God will choose the ONE He wants, not what we want.  altho God did say to pray for the leaders, no matter how wrong we think they are, or how they should not be a leader, GOd put them over us for a reason...  and since God put those ppl there and since he is above all our "power"....  God is leading, so what is the problem? ^^

  • paoguy118@xanga

    I won't be disrespectful toward Obama, but I'm not going to pray for him either. It's a lost cause; he has no hope of being a good president and a wise leader. I'm already focused on 2010 so we can at least get a decent Congress in place, and I'm praying God will raise up a champion for us in 2012. America is going to pay a heavy price for this bad decision.
  • manonfire2096@xanga

    Amen. God bless our leaders; He put them there anyways.
  • ambidreamz@xanga

    I prayed like crazy for this election and I praise God every day that Obama is elected - thus I have no problem respecting and honoring him as a figure of authority. Although I simply can not fathom at this time why anyone would not view him as the person to turn your vote in for, I won't stop anyone from disagreeing. After all, we're all entitled to that.

    I did however have that issue of respect with Bush..and it wasn't something a bit of prayer did not fix. I strongly disagreed with him on everything.. I felt like I had lost all available respect for him considering what he was doing with this country, but thankfully Jesus taught my heart how to respect, to just be at peace, and to wait patiently. Thankfully it seems that waiting time is finally over.

  • jwstruth1

    Sometimes I don't think that we, as Americans, understand the freedoms we have.  Paul was writing these things to the Romans and Peter and all others who wrote such things, in order to put down rebellions and insurrections by those who might use their doctrine to create uprisings in the land.


       But in America we have the GOD- given RIGHT to say what we like, and many people have shed their blood so that we can have this right. 


       It is true that God decides who will be in government.  We just have to remember that we don't see the whole picture, only the tiniest, tineyest little sliver of it.  And God's mercy triumphs over judgement.  God works out everything for HIS own ends. 


      Now if God is in control (and I don't think he needs our advice on how to run things) than we (as Christians) can be sure that eveything is going to be alright...so why worry?

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