Daily Devotions
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
Here’s a question for you.
What do the Little League, the Boy Scouts, the Cub Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the Young Men’s Christian Association, the Young Women’s Christian Association, the Future Farmers of America, the Future Homemakers of America, the 4-H Clubs, the Boys Clubs, and the Girls Clubs have in common?
If you said, “Most of these groups deal with shaping the youth of our country,” you would be right. If you said, “They are all tax-exempt nonprofit youth organizations,” you would also be right.
But you would be just as right if you said, “In California these groups have been specifically named as organizations which need to embrace the proposed ‘gender identity’ and ‘sexual guidelines’ if they wish to keep their tax exemption.” In short, if they refuse to give up — how did John O’Connor of Equality California say it — “their outdated practices,” it’s going to cost them.
Let’s make it really, really simple. If these groups don’t abandon their religious and moral convictions for what California thinks is a more acceptable position, these organizations might go down in financial flames.
All of this means if the proposed legislation goes through, these organizations will be left with a choice: they can either hold fast to what God and/or their consciences say, or they can embrace the government’s new mores.
Almost 2,000 years ago when faced with a similar choice, St. Peter spoke for the other apostles and said, “We must obey God rather than men.” And they did. Back then that attitude meant those men ended up being martyred. The only difference between then and now may be our contemporary martyrs will be murdered financially.
This is why I think we need to pray for those who are in authority. We need to pray for the leaders of these and other organizations who are going to be faced with difficult choices. May they obey God and not men.
But we also need to pray for our elected leaders. May they realize that in trying to stop prejudice against homosexuality or anything else, they are creating a prejudice against Christianity. When they try to smooth out the path in front of the minorities, they are throwing roadblocks on the road of Jesus’ followers.
The Savior told us this day would come. I just hoped it wouldn’t come during my lifetime. Now that it’s here, may we all obey God rather than men.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks to You for those faithful saints of the past. May their example of obedience to their crucified and ever-living Redeemer be an example for us who must also decide if we are to obey God rather than man. By the Holy Spirit’s power, may we do that which is right. In the Savior’s Name. Amen.