Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is Gods minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is Gods minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.
Romans 13: 1 - 5 NKJV
It seemed like a good idea at the time. The young kid was outside playing on a warm summer day when all of a sudden he recalled the corner store his parents had taken him to so many times. All the boy knew was that when they went to the store, they drove to the end of the street and then took a right. It sounded easy enough, so he started walking. Eventually he came to the end of his block looked around and, not seeing the store, took a right and kept making his way down the street. However, something didn't seem right to the Virginia, Minnesota police officer who was on duty that day. For he knew many of the officers who worked in this small northern Minnesota town, as well as their families. The boy he saw walking down the sidewalk that day seemed out of place. He recognized him as the son of a local sheriffs deputy, but wondered why he was so far away from home. Approaching the kid, the officer asked where he was going. Without missing a beat, the boy claimed he was walking to the store. The officer immediately put in a call to the county sheriffs office and the boys father before he took him for a ride in his police car to the local store. As the boy drank his soda, the officer wondered what might have been had he not came across the lost boy.
Growing up, that story was told many times over whenever I would visit my dad at the county sheriffs office. To the point where the story was that I was rescued from the clutches of a hells angels motorcycle gang thundering through town. I do vaguely recall my journey I took that day, yet some of the details are a bit fuzzy. I thought about this episode the other day as I glanced at the coverage of yet another anti police demonstration here in Portland. I admit that I am a bit biased when it comes to this issue. For not only did I grow up with a parent in law enforcement, I seem to have inherited what many would describe as common sense and the knowledge of right from wrong. I agree with many Americans that what happened to the man George Floyd last summer in Minneapolis was uncalled for and deserving of justice. However, will we indeed demonize all of law enforcement due to the actions of a few men? I would disagree with that all day long. But let's have that discussion shall we? Let's talk about the flavor of the month in our society right now which claims that law enforcement deliberately targets minority civilians. Forget the fact that George Floyd tried to pass a bad check in the moments before he was taken into custody, or the fact that he had illegal drugs in his system. Forget those facts and concentrate on what that eight seconds of video tells you, that a police officer choked the life out of George Floyd. While the loss of the life of George Floyd was tragic and should never have happened, George Floyd put himself in a bad position that day.
"You probably won't get your ass kicked by the police if you just used common sense"
~Chris Rock~
Comedian Chris Rock had a funny saying when it came to African Americans being targeted by law enforcement. "Everybody knows, that if the police have to come find you, they're bringing a ass kicking with them!" It's something that was instilled in me from a young age, respect authority. It's also something which, as believers, we're called upon to do. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans that we are to be subject to our governing authorities {Romans 13:1}. But what about those times when we feel that those authorities God has put in place do not have our best interests in mind? A good example is my own thoughts on Oregon's Governor Lockdown Kate Brown. I disagree with her 100% as to what she should be doing, and feel that she has not been effective as our sates leader. Yet, she is the representative which the Lord has installed to govern us. I don't feel that it's un Christian like to harbor bad feelings if we feel someone is doing something wrong. However, isn't it in Gods wheelhouse to deal with bad leaders He Himself has installed? Then ask yourself this question, what are the Lords motives for allowing times such as these? For in the end, it is not the effectiveness of leadership, but what the Lord Himself allows that we are questioning. That is the question which I will spend some time on this week. Lord, what is your purpose in this? We may not agree with our leaders, but God will let us know His intentions if we will listen.
~Scott~
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