No Fear for Those who do what is Right

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.  –Romans 13:3 

I have been teased a lot over the years about my driving; mainly that I drive too slowly.  If I might defend myself, I don’t drive slowly; I simply drive the speed limit.  Of course, this places me in a minority of drivers, or that is how it seems.  There was one instance back in 1998 that I was driving up I-81 on my way to a meeting.  I was running late, and so I decided to go ahead and speed like everybody else.  I never even saw the State Trooper until I passed by him at 81 miles per hour.  He was very nice and wished me a nice day after he had written the ticket.  “This is great.” I thought.  The one time I decide to drive like everyone else on the road and I get a speeding ticket.  That pretty much ended my foray into driving above the speed limit and I returned at once to my usual adherence to the speed limit.  

The Scripture reminds us that those who are doing right have no terror in their hearts of those who are in authority over us.  There is wonderful peace to be had from being on the right side of the law.  I love driving and going about my daily routine knowing that I have nothing to fear in terms of running afoul of the authorities.  Sometimes around the holidays, I encounter the check-points set up by the local police departments to check for drunk drivers, drugs, expired tags, and otherwise outside-the-law drivers.  What a blessing to approach those situations with confidence that there is nothing to hide and therefore nothing to fear.  

 

Such a scenario can be replayed throughout our day-to-day lives.  When we walk with the Lord in righteousness, honesty, and integrity, we will not have to be afraid of being caught doing something wrong.  Rather, we can walk forward in confidence that we are where we are meant to be and doing what we are supposed to be doing.  

About that ticket back in 1998: I appeared in court on the appointed day, dressed in a suit and tie, and holding a copy of my driving record which gave evidence that my driving had been, until that ticket, as clean as a whistle.  The judge looked it over and asked if I had anything to say.  I simply offered an apology and an assurance that such action would not be repeated.  The judge then stated that he would suspend the ticket, and if there were no more charges for the next six months, then the ticket would be dismissed.  I nearly skipped from the courtroom. 

Isn’t being honest wonderful?  Slow down, be careful, and remember that we honor the Lord by how we live – in all aspects of life.