The Rest of the Story
The Bible is important for Christians to understand, but it’s not always easy to understand. The great news is that we don’t have to start from scratch. We can read trusted commentaries and speak to wise friends. We can listen to sermons that break open the Word so we can grasp its applicability to our lives. For those receiving these Life for Leaders devotions, we can have Mark Roberts explain Paul’s labyrinthine arguments to us.
But besides all these external helps, there is another piece of good news as we seek to search the Scriptures. The lists of kings and the genealogies and the theological arguments are best understood in the context of the larger story the Bible is telling.
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Praying for Our Political Leaders
This passage from one of Paul’s letters instructs Timothy—and us as well—to pray for all people, including “kings and all those in authority.” Even though it doesn’t say explicitly, “pray for the American president,” the implications of the text are pretty clear. Among those for whom we pray, we should certainly include our political leaders, no matter whether we agree with them or not, no matter whether we like them or not.
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Runner’s High
In the same way Timothy needed to be reminded that his gift was no less significant because of his youth, we often need to be reminded not to measure our gifts against the standards and expectations set for others. In a world that is stylized and filtered to the max (hello, social media!) and that rarely gives prizes for getting it done, it’s easy to miss out on the experience of simply doing something because it brings us joy and then letting our joy be praise to God.
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A Prayer for the Fourth of July
Today is Independence Day in the United States, a day of patriotic celebrations for citizens in my country. I thought it would be appropriate for me to offer a reflection that is suitable for this day, even though quite a few readers of Life for Leaders do not live in the United States. If you’re from another country, what I write will be relevant to you, though the date won’t have the same significance as it does for my American readers.
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A Special Prayer for the Fourth of July
Today is Independence Day in the United States, a day of patriotic celebrations for citizens in my country. I thought it would be appropriate for me to offer a reflection that is suitable for this day, even though quite a few readers of Life for Leaders do not live in the United States. If you’re from another country, what I write will be relevant to you, though the date won’t have the same significance as it does for my American readers.
In one of his letters to Timothy, the Apostle Paul urged him to offer “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings” for all people (1 Tim 2:1). Then, becoming more specific, Paul added that prayers should be offered “for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (2:2).
I wonder why Paul felt it necessary to urge Timothy to pray for his political leaders. Could it be that this sort of prayer might easily haven been neglected, even by such a faithful Christian as Timothy?
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