What can I expect from my government?

What do you expect from a government?

More importantly, what does God expect of a government?

The Bible teaches that we all have certain rights given to us by the Lord God Almighty. These rights should not be taken from us, and if they are, the individual or government taking them away will be sinning against us and against the Lord. Three rights granted to us from God are:

a) The right to life. Life is a gift from God and only He has the right to take your life from you, nobody else has that right. This is clear from the commandment ‘You shall not murder’, which could be rephrased as ‘you have the right to live, nobody has the right to take your life.’

b) We have the right to property. God has made us stewards of all that is around us, and things that we earn or build we are entitled to keep, sell or give away. This is again clear from the commandment ‘You shall not steal’, which could be rephrased as ‘you have the right to own property, nobody has the right to take your property.’

c) We have the right to work and to rest. From the beginning, the Lord gave our ancestors work to do, but he also provided rest for them. Again, the Ten Commandments state this clearly, ‘You shall labour six days of the week, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day, a day of rest.’

It’s important that every individual respect these rights, given to us by the Lord, because if they are not respected, injustice quickly follows. It’s also important that governments respect these rights, (because governments have often been the worst at taking God-given rights from the very citizens they are supposed to serve). For example, in Communist countries the right to own property has been taken away – everything belongs to the state. Similarly, in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s government is taking away many citizens’ right to life.

Sadly, no government has ever fully respected those rights given to us by our creator. Even n Britain the right to retain what you have earned is disregarded as you are taxed pretty severely so that others may be idle. In other words, the government plunders your money through taxation.

However, there is a kingdom where these rights are respected. That is the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and you can find his ambassadors at your local church. Amongst Christians you will find people who respect your right to live (that’s why Christians oppose abortion and euthanasia), your right to property (that’s why you can leave property unattended among Christians and it won’t be stolen); and your right to work (that’s why Christians aren’t idle).

Do you want a government that respects your God-given rights? You’ve got one already, if you’re a Christian. If you're not a Christian, why not enter the kingdom of Jesus Christ – his embassies are open on Sunday, but chances are there's an ambassador for Christ in your workplace - (he's one of those Christians).