For to us a child is born, to us a son
is given, and the government will be on his shoulders...and of the increase of
his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and
righteousness from that time on and forever. -Isaiah 9:6-7
Government. Does that word strike a
positive note in you, or negative note? The word has good and bad connotations.
Over the centuries, many corrupt governments run by greedy and power-hungry
people have imposed tyranny rather than justice. Their form of order is more
often a form of chaos.
It's a shame that government has gotten
such a bad name-because it is, at the same time, a necessary function of any
society hoping to be civilized. The ungoverned life is chaos, anarchy, and
injustice. Without governing, people would not volunteer to pitch in for the
common good, and they would be unwilling to enact laws that require them to
sacrifice and set limits on their lives And so government is a necessary
constraint on our impulses and independence, a way for a person to say, "I
need to have standards in my life, and I know that my neighbors and I need to
live under those standards for them to be meaningful."
God knows we need governing. That's why
he calls himself King, Shepherd, Master, Lord and Father-and when Jesus was
born in Bethlehem, the world gained its greatest governor.
Have you ever considered a governing individual,
and wondered how he or she can bear the sheer weight of immense responsibility?
Yet, governing-real, life-shaping authority-ultimately rests on Christ's
shoulders alone "The government will be on his shoulders." Now, there
is a future time when he will reign as undisputed ruler, but in the meantime he
is exercising considerable governing power. Since Bethlehem, the world has
changed. It is not that evil has disappeared, but its counter-the power of
Christ-has been triumphant in one life after another. We see it in the person
who gains victory over an addiction, in someone who stands up for justice, in
reconciled relationships, in people whose characters are being shaped by the
character of Christ.
We can thank God this Christmas that he
did not leave us to our chaotic, ungoverned state. A shepherd-king came to
stand in the Davidic line, not to be like other kings, but to govern our lives
from the inside out, as he changes our hearts and enlivens our consciences.
Prayer for Today:
Lord, I confess that there is much in me
that does not want to be governed. Help me to see joy in the fact that your
governing will never end, and because of that, peace will increase (Bible Gateway).
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