1 Corinthians 9:27
King James Version
27 But I keep under my body,
and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means,
when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway.
Why do governments fail?
Why are governments in chaos?
Why don't people believe in governments?
It's because governments say one thing, and do another.
It's because they are not true to their word.
It's because they enrich themselves.
It's because they have become corrupt.
It's because they don't consult the people.
Governments ignore GOD.
They do not want to follow His laws.
Well, if we are to have good governments, we must obey GOD.
JESUS reminds us Who GOD Is:
Mark 10:18
King James Version
18 And Jesus said unto him,
Why callest thou me good?
there is none good but one, that is, God.
Good governments.
Good governance.
We can achieve all that, through JESUS.
He commands we be perfect.
Matthew 5:48
King James Version
48 Be ye therefore perfect,
even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect.
GOD wants us to be holy.
Leviticus 19:1-2
King James Version
19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel,
and say unto them,
Ye shall be holy:
for I the Lord your God am holy.
For governments to govern well, we start with ourselves.
For us to govern well, we must govern ourselves well first.
Whether we be citizens, or policy makers.
It's all about SELF-government.
Discipline, devotion, deliverance, and demotion.
The first three will be for another post.
Here, we discuss demotion.
Demotion means voluntary humility.
That's the starting point for all change.
JESUS did say:
Matthew 20:16
King James Version
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last:
for many be called, but few chosen.
John the Baptist lived to serve JESUS:
John 3:30
King James Version
30 He must increase,
but I must decrease.
Scripture has much to say about serving the LORD.
We cannot serve well, unless our hearts are right with the LORD.
JESUS tells us how:
Mark 1:15
King James Version
15 And saying,
The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Matthew 6:24
King James Version
24 No man can serve two masters:
for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 7:1-5
King James Version
7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge,
ye shall be judged:
and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou
the mote that is in thy brother's eye,
but considerest not
the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite,
first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote
out of thy brother's eye.
Matthew 18:1-7
King James Version
18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying,
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him,
and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said,
Verily I say unto you,
Except ye be converted,
and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself
as this little child,
the same is greatest
in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive
one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend
one of these little ones which believe in me,
it were better for him that a millstone were hanged
about his neck, and that he were drowned
in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe unto the world because of offences!
for it must needs be that offences come;
but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
John 3:5-8
King James Version
5 Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Being good, perfect, holy, childlike, and born again, are not in the government's books.
Policy makers would rather be rich, famous, and powerful.
They are governed by intellect, rather than heart.
They are obsessed with vanity.
They want to be adored.
Well, only GOD must be worshiped.
Exodus 20:3-5
King James Version
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,
nor serve them:
for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me;
Leviticus 19:4
King James Version
4 Turn ye not unto idols,
nor make to yourselves molten gods:
I am the Lord your God.
Revelation 22:8-9
King James Version
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them.
And when I had heard and seen,
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel
which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me,
See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren the prophets,
and of them which keep the sayings of this book:
worship God.
To lead well, first, we serve GOD.
Believers are servants to the LORD.
Although JESUS also calls us friends.
John 15:14-15
King James Version
14 Ye are my friends,
if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants;
for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:
but I have called you friends;
for all things that I have heard of my Father
I have made known unto you.
The objective is to have a PURE heart.
Why else the call to perfection, and holiness?
Even king David prayed for such a heart:
Psalm 51:10-17
King James Version
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;
and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
thou God of my salvation:
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips;
and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:
thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.
JESUS blesses the pure in heart.
Matthew 5:8
King James Version
8 Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.
Aspire to know the laws of GOD.
Aspire to obey His Will.
Aspire to be born again.
Aspire to worship GOD alone.
In the process, you can lead well.
You can create a GOD-centered government -- starting with self.
You can sleep good nights, knowing only GOD governs you.
Apostle Paul gives us a a guide to self-government:
Ephesians 4:14-32
King James Version
14 That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together
and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love.
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling
have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him,
and have been taught by him,
as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off
concerning the former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man,
which after God
is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbour:
for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not:
let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more:
but rather let him labour,
working with his hands the thing which is good,
that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying,
that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamour, and evil speaking,
be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you.
Master self -- through CHRIST -- and we can serve others well.
There will be no hypocrisy; only authenticity.
More articles on government here.
Related material:
HOLINESS
Sin AWARENESS
BORN AGAIN classics
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