Former Chaplain of the United States Senate Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie once wrote: “We’re all accountable to living under authority. And the greater the authority we are given, the more we have to place ourselves unreservedly under Christ’s authority.” It’s so true; you cannot experience joy, peace or strength unless you submit to His rule.

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work.

Ephesians 4:28

Allowing His authority in your life and thriving in a relationship with Him are linked. When you repented and believed in Christ as your Savior, you turned from what you were as a lost soul to one whose joy comes from pleasing God. Jesus goes beyond “you shall not steal,” the commandment given to the children of Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 20:15), to a more inclusive meaning. Commentator Lawrence O. Richards catches the significance: “Idleness, or dependence on others, is not a godly trait for the able-bodied.” Instead, labor honestly so you “have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28)

Oh, that this concept might extend to this nation’s leaders. Pray that they would make laws that allow workers to labor in the way God has directed…and that the country’s workforce and leadership know the peace and joy that comes with submission to the Lord.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 128