Our Country

Written By Patrick Burch

OPENING THOUGHT

The Star-Spangled Banner, God Bless the USA, America the Beautiful, and My Country Tis of Thee are songs that most of us are familiar with. We likely could sing along to each of these songs and not miss a word. Our identity as Americans (or as people of other nationalities) is a core part of who we are, and we are thankful we live where we do.

We have been blessed to live in a nation where we are able to worship God freely and spread the truth of who He is. However, there are those who do not have that and live in different places around the world. How are Christians supposed to react to the different governments that we live under? What does God have to say about the governmental authorities in our lives? Let’s dive into Scripture to see what He says about it.

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD

Jeremiah 29:4-7

  • To whom and why did Jeremiah write this letter?

  • What were the Israelites told to do on behalf of Babylon?

  • Why did God tell the Israelites to pray for Babylon? What would the prayers do for the Israelites in exile?

  • What implications does this have for us today?

  • How can we ensure the welfare of where we are living today?

Romans 13:1-7

  • In verse 1, what does Paul tell us our response to authority should be?

  • Who appoints rulers and authorities to their positions?

  • Why do we have no need to fear those who are in power? Do we act as though we have no fear of our rulers?

  • In verses 6 and 7, what is due to the governmental authorities that are over us? Are we good about giving what is due to these people?

Philippians 3:17-21

  • Where does Paul tell us that our citizenship lies?

  • How does the realization of our true citizenship affect our view of our earthly citizenship?

  • How can we work to ensure the welfare of the place of our eternal citizenship, heaven?

Patrick Burch
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The Poor