Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone.
Friends, God is good, all the time.
How should Christians conduct themselves towards others- private individuals, familiar faces, strangers, and public officers? In today's first Reading, Paul continues to lay out acceptable standards of behaviors for Christians that align with the gospel of Jesus.
Paul urges Christians to recognize and show deference and obedience to those serving in public office and, indeed, all people. Elsewhere he even reminds us that leaders are chosen by God to rule. This teaching could be hard to take today, given what some leaders believe in and how they behave.
But Paul's teaching reflects what Jesus taught about giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God, or what he said concerning the scribes and Pharisees that they sit on the throne of Moses, so listen to what they tell you but don't follow what they do. Remember, the reason Jesus asked the ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priest was his recognition of the priesthood and the authority of the priest.
How may we reconcile the teachings of Jesus and Paul with what we notice with those in authority and people generally today? We may disagree with them, and we must when necessary, but what we must not fail to do is pray for them, remembering that prayer turns things around. Every human being needs the prayer of Christians. I believe that the only way we can’t speak evil of anyone as Paul urges is to prau for them. Let’s pray for one another.