Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. - Romans 13:11 –12 (ESV)

What are you anticipating? What are you looking forward to? This time of year it might be graduation or vacation. That kind of anticipation can give us energy to continue and push through current difficulties. It can build excitement to what is ahead. This perspective is not unknown to scripture.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. - Romans 13:1 (ESV)

The saying goes, 'There is only two certainties in life: death and taxes.' We all think about that this time of year. Hopefully you have already filed and the sting has started to wear off. Have you ever considered not paying? Maybe you even spiritualized it. The government is not going to do the 'right' things with the money after all. It's full of politicians and crooks (which are basically the same thing - right?). God could do some amazing things with that money.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. - Romans 13:8 (ESV)

According to Experian, the average American has $6,354 in credit card debt. The average interest rate is around 17%. So the average minimum monthly payment is around $127. This means it will take you over 7.5 years to pay off that balance if you incur no other debt, and over that timespan you will pay over $5200 in interest on that balance. That's a little overwhelming!

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. - Hebrews 2:9 (ESV)

We are all inexperienced when it comes to death, but it will be a reality for everyone. Yet we avoid thinking or talking about it, but it is something everyone must face. On Easter we celebrate One who has tasted death and won. This unique event changes our perspective and our eternity when we consider our own mortality.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. - Romans 13:1 –2 (ESV)

Paul wrote these words to a group of people who lived under a government that at the time was ambivalent and mostly ignorant to Christianity, but in a few short years things would not be nearly as peaceable. Caesar would not only demand loyalty, but worship. Christianity would be outlawed and severely persecuted. Under these circumstances how do we think about these words? Is there a limit to submission? Is there a time or even a duty at times to disobey the authorities? When is that?

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:25 –28 (ESV)

The murmurs began to rise out of the growing crowd. They daily felt the oppression of the current regime, but it had never extinguished the hope that lingered from long ago. They had heard from the parents and grandparents that one day a king would arise. He would step into his rightful place and all would be set right. As they saw a figure grow over the horizon they wondered if all those hopes would meet reality.