Rebellion is overrated

We hear about rebellion everywhere. The good guys in Star Wars are part of a rebellion. The heroes of the Hunger Games are rebels. The founding fathers rebelled against the king of England. The list goes on and on.

Our culture glamorizes rebellion. We are conditioned to think that rebellion is good. We are told that rebels are heroes. And it seems right.

It seems like this is exactly what God thinks. Going against the culture and fighting for a noble cause is hard to do. Rebelling against tyranny is not exactly a walk on the beach. God calls us to do hard things. So isn’t rebellion what God wants us to do? Not exactly.

Why is rebellion so popular? Why do we promote it as a culture? Because it our nature. Every single person on the face of the earth is in rebellion against God. Since it is our nature, naturally we think it is good.

The truth is rebellion can be good and it can be bad. It depends on why we are rebelling, and against whom. If we are rebels just because we don’t want to do what anybody says, it is bad. But if we are rebels because we are standing up for the truth, it is good.

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? -Deuteronomy 10: 12-13

God desires our obedience, not lip service. He wants us to be loyal to Him and no one else. And He wants us to be willing to obey Him even if it means rebellion against the world.

Maybe why we like rebels so much is because they are actually stubborn, and stand up for what’s right. So ultimately, rebellion is overrated. What we should try to be is faithful to God, no matter if we have to rebel against others to do it. Someone who is faithful to God is a hero, someone who is not is a rebel.