**Daily Devotional** **November 12** *15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. - 1 Peter 2:15-17 (KJV)* Israel was under the occupation of the Romans during the early Church Age so they were not a free people but an occupied people. Peter is telling the church, that even though they were free from this world, as children of God, that they should still obey the Romans, as by doing so they would let their light shine (Matthew 5:16), and silence the foolish people. It is God’s will that we always obey our rulers, or government, and not rebel against them. We are not to use our being children of God as a cloak for rebellion against authority, but are to act like our Father in heaven, and as the scriptures teach us to act, holy in all respects (1 Peter 1:16). Many times religion tries to defeat our rulers by actions, which are not at all holy. We should participate in elections, and our government, when we can, but not be rebellious. We are to honor all men, and if you truly love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39), you will honor them. We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ more than any others and we all share the same body of Christ, so we must work together, with love and respect, for each other (John 15:17). This use of the word “fear” is meaning “reverence”, not being afraid of, and we are to reverence God more than anything (Matthew 22:37), and never reverence men, as that will bring a snare (Proverbs 29:25). We are to honor our rulers, but not reverence them, and we should always have great respect for the office that they hold, even if we disagree with their actions. Praise God for all His wonderful instructions. Devotional by Pastor Joe W. Green, www.infinite-faith.com