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This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

It’s natural for children to ask their parents “why,” especially when they’re being told to do something that they don’t want to do. Of course, the classic answer that parents often give to that question is both simple and direct: “Because I said so.” It really doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—’so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth’” (Ephesians 6:1-3). Children must obey their parents and others in authority without asking why unless they’re convinced that the order would involve disobeying God. Then, “we must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29).

Of course, our heavenly Father also doesn’t need to give us the reason he commands us to do something. But how blessed we are that so often he does! And what fundamental reason does he most often give us for his commands? He wants us to be like him, just as he created us to be holy and perfect in his image.

So, when Christians are urged by the apostle Paul to pray for all people, including kings and those in authority over us, it’s simply meant to reflect the kind of the love and concern our heavenly Father has for all people. The apostle Peter once plainly stated that “God does not show favoritism’ (Acts 10:34). And Paul could not have been any clearer by writing that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Why? Because “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

That’s our heavenly Father’s mindset, and he wants his children to think and act the same way. So, love and pray for all people. Have the mindset of our heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, empower me to always think and act like you, demonstrating love and concern for all people. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.