Author: Day Nine

“Legitimacy is based on three things: first of all, the people who are asked to obey authority have to feel like they have a voice – that if they speak up, they will be heard. Second, the law has to be predictable. There has to be a reasonable expectation that the rules tomorrow are going to be roughly the same as the rules of today. And third, the authority has to be fair. It can’t treat one group differently from another.”

– Malcolm Gladwell

The root word of authority is “originator” or “author”. Therefore, if God is the Author of our lives, then it stands to reason that He also has some level of authority in our lives. In what ways have you allowed God to have authority in your life?

Check all that apply. Draw a box around the one that is hardest for you to relinquish control. Draw a circle around the one that is easiest.

Why is this one hard for you? What makes the other one easy?

Devotional Thought:

I had been struggling with depression before I experienced faith in Jesus. It was a challenge just trying to get through the day. It was easy for me to surrender control of my time and daily schedule to God. Life was heavy and it felt like a burden lifted when I made Him the priority each day. As my faith grew, my depression lessened over time. I was able to work through many issues through prayer and a good counselor.

While it was easy to surrender my time, it took me much longer to surrender my marriage to God. I was so afraid that it would fail and I didn’t know if I could trust God with it. All those years ago I didn’t know if we would celebrate 29 months, but I’m happy to say we are celebrating 29 years of marriage this fall. It took me finally allowing God to have authority in my marriage before it began to heal.

Malcolm Gladwell’s quote identifies that we need to feel like we have a voice. God allowed me time to speak my concerns to Him. He was patient with me. And, when I knew I was being heard, I was then able to give Him authority in my life.

Write a prayer in your journal. Tell God how you feel about His authority in your life. Be as authentic and honest as possible.