302 of 365 - Submission

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3
 
Authority has become a four-letter word. Wait, scratch that… four-letter words are more accepted and often even revered than the idea of authority. We brisk at the concept, puff our chests and assert our authority over ourselves. No one is the boss of me, we declare.

It is such a stumbling block to our faith and our ability to genuinely accept God as the authority over our lives.

God is a God of order and authority. Authority exists in the Trinity itself – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Though all are fully and equally God, Jesus – God the Son – willingly submitted to the authority of God the Father.

The cycle of life from dependent infants to toddlers to figuring-it-out teens to students to employees to spouses all include places where we learn to submit to authority. Not only as a means for order and proper development, but also to train our hearts and minds toward a posture of authority SO THAT we can willingly and lovingly submit to the ultimate authority of Jesus. The more we buck authority in our training times the more difficult it is to submit to the authority of Jesus. The more we clench our fists around our authority over ourselves, the less our hearts are open to the authority of our Creator and Savior.
 
Paul has spent much ink ensuring we understand our freedom in Christ. So when he speaks of earthly authority, he isn’t taking something away from us, belittling us, or squashing us under the thumb of another. Earthly authority does not equal inferiority. Authority is not about submitting to the whims of the will of another. Jesus was no less God when He was submitting to the authority of the good and perfect will of the Father. Spiritual authority is always in the context of a loving and mutually beneficial relationship.
 
Questions: Do you have a hard time submitting to authority? In what ways do you rebel against the authority of Jesus as Lord of your life?