Do you have faith in your government?

There are many different forms of government in our world today.

Some are obviously better than others for a variety of reasons.

I'm not here to debate which form is best.

With every form of governance in place, there are both proponents and detractors, largely due to the experiences of those living under each regime.

In many cases, it's not the form of government people tend to oppose, but rather the political leaders controlling it. 

People don't like being lied to or manipulated by their officials.

Sadly, this appears to be happening more often than not regardless of where you're from.

Why?

Because all of these leaders, at their core, are merely human.

Power and control can be a very strong elixir. 

The harder someone works to gain these things, the less willing they are to give them up.

This can lead people to do some horrible things, believing that doing so will serve the common good.

My point here is not to shame government officials or condemn whatever form of governance they choose.

It is instead to ask one simple question:

Do you have faith in your government?

If so, why?

If not, why?

Have you ever found yourself eagerly anticipating a regime change only to end up horribly disappointed by the results of those changes?

I know I have.

So why do we repeat the same cycle time and time again even though we've been through it before?

Because we're putting our faith in the wrong things.

As Christians, we need to take a step back and realize where our true citizenship really lies.

No matter what country we live in, and no matter what form of governance we're under, we belong to Christ's kingdom first and foremost.

Does this mean we should disregard the laws our country puts in place?

Not at all.

Doing so could result in being jailed or even worse.

We should all obey the law to the best of our ability - with just one caveat:

If any law forbids us to practice or share our faith, it should be considered irrelevant.

Why?

Because we belong first to God's kingdom.

We are citizens of a kingdom above all others which has the power to remove or replace any government or political leader at a moment's notice, no matter how powerful they appear to be.

We are called to "...seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness..."

Moreover, we're also taught that God himself decides who will lead the nations.

In Romans, Paul says the following:

"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended." - Romans 13:1-3

Of course, this is the same Paul who was arrested, jailed, and killed for sharing his faith in Jesus. 

So, you see, there is a line drawn here.

Paul obeyed his government in all things until that government forbade him from teaching the gospel and sharing his faith with others.

His faith was not in the government.

His faith, first and foremost, was in Christ.

We need to have the same mindset.

No matter how dark things may appear, God is ultimately, completely, decisively in control. 

He always has been, he is now, and he always will be. 

If our faith is firmly grounded in him, and our first citizenship is in his kingdom, we can trust he will never fail or abandon us.