Language Lab: What Is “submission”?

Language Lab: What Is “Submission”?

Bible Blast: Read Hebrews 12:9-11

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NIV)

Before we can talk about submission, I need to make sure you understand the meaning of another word: authority. This is a person who is like your leader or boss and has more power than you. That may sound like a bad thing at first, but God established authority, and everybody has all kinds of authorities over him or her. Go ahead and answer these questions:

Who is your authority at home?

Who is your authority at school?

Who is your authority at church?

Who is your authority when you’re at a friend’s house?

See? Authority figures are everywhere, and that’s not always such a terrible idea, is it? I mean, imagine if you went to your school (even if you’re homeschooled) and you sat down at your desk and no one was there to tell you what work to do or how to do it. At first that might be fun, but eventually that would be terrible, especially if you want to graduate! Authorities are so necessary.

Submission is what we do when we listen to and obey those authorities. It means that we realize someone holds authority over us and that we’re going to respect that. Think about the questions you just answered: How do you submit to those authorities?

Submission isn’t always easy, especially if you don’t always agree with or even like someone who’s in authority over you. One year you might have a great teacher, and the next year you might have “that” teacher whom nobody likes. Do you have to submit to that not-so-nice teacher, too? Yep.

The most wonderful authority we need to make sure we submit to is God. When we know he wants us to do something, we need to submit to that and do it. This will end up being a great blessing in our lives.

Submission is a fantastic way to show God’s love to authorities.

Girl Gab: Is there someone you have a hard time submitting to? Take time to pray for that person. Ask God to show you how to submit to him or her out of love and respect.