Article April 6, 1992 Issue

Being under authority gives us authority

True leadership arises from the willingness to be self-governed by the law of God.

Judith H. Hedrick

Children have to obey their parents and teachers. Parents and teachers need to work together. Even people in positions of high authority need to comply with rules and respond to those who work with them. Then there are the laws of the land—from litter and traffic laws up to constitutional law. We all have to deal with authority of one kind or another.

We may sometimes feel inclined to rebel against this authority, but we are benefited by it whenever it is right and just. In order to live or work successfully under the direction of someone else, we must develop patience, self-control, industry, self-knowledge, meekness, and steadiness. This growth of character enables us eventually to fulfill positions of authority ourselves.

In the parable of the ten pieces of money, which we read about in Luke, Christ Jesus speaks of a nobleman who gives money to his servants. Then he tells them to make good use of it until he returns. The first two servants are trustworthy; they use the money wisely and multiply it. When the nobleman returns, he tells the first servant, "Because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." In fact, he praises both of the first two servants and deals with them similarly. But the third servant had been timid and had done nothing with the money. When the nobleman hears about it, he rebukes the servant and takes away the money he had originally given him.

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