Gas Prices & Leadership

The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. Psalm 119:72

Leadership that honors God must be consistent with what God says about himself in Scripture. As you grow in your Christian walk, your appreciation and awe for God and his Son must increase, not decrease. In any relationship, if you begin to take someone for granted the strength of that relationship begins to decrease. Taking God for granted, as in not having growing love for him, will lead to inconsistency in the things you say and the things you do. Children show particular expertise in detecting inconsistencies in parents. If you talk to you children about a God who is wonderful, about a Savior who means everything to you, but then you are down and discouraged about some event that didn’t go your way, you are being inconsistent. Your testimony about the wonder of God is diminished your children’s eyes.

For example, you may speak glowingly about the sovereignty of God but then be quickly discouraged by rising gas prices. This discouragement may spill over into worry and short tempers as the price of gas marches upward. Complaints begin about the price of food going up because of high gas prices. Trips to the gas station become an exercise in anxiety as you peek to see how high the gas price has risen since yesterday. You may hear yourself saying things like, No children we can’t go to the park today. It is too expensive to drive there and I don’t want to hear any whining about it. Then when you speak to a friend or coworker you say, “I just can’t believe the price of gas! This is outrageous. I can’t even go to the store without having to take out a loan to pay for gas!”

What difference does the sovereignty of God make to you? God is no less gracious to you now than when gas was selling for $1.95 per gallon. However, your children might think otherwise. Do they hear constant complaints and worry—or short, irritated responses?

To be sure, the rising price of gas presents significant budget challenges to your family. But Colossians 1:15-20 says that Jesus Christ has authority even over the price of gas. Romans 8:28 teaches that all things work together for the good of those who love him. If you teach your children that the control of God is a good thing, then you must also come to terms with rising gas prices. This does not mean that you must pray for the price of gas to go higher! But it does mean that even in this difficult situation and the financial hardships that may come, God is still the wonderful Lord of Creation. He is bringing these events about so that you will look more to him and less to yourself. It is important to teach your children to adjust to the lifestyle changes that may come with rising fuel costs in a way that honors God. God is still a good God even if gas prices continue to rise.

It may well be that rising gas prices are the result of poor governmental planning, trouble in the Middle East, and an over dependence on foreign oil. But none of these factors detracts one bit from the glory of God and the priceless gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. Psalm 119:72 says:

The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Every trial is an opportunity to live out this reality in front of your children, your wives and the community around you. Rising gas prices will no doubt have a significant financial impact for many, perhaps your family. As Psalm 46 says, you can take comfort and refuge in the knowledge that the God of Jacob is for us. The Bible does not ignore hard times. It tells us to expect them. The difference between the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7 is not that one faced storms and the other one did not. Storms came to the lives of both men. The difference was the foundation upon which their lives were built. May God grant grace to us as parents, and the ability to present God as faithful in both pleasant times and difficult times. The world can easily complain about high gas prices and fall into despair. God calls you to be different from the world. Use this opportunity to offer praise to the Lord of heaven and earth, and yes, have confidence in God even in the face of gas prices.

Have you reacted to the rising price of gas with irritation or anxiety? Remember, just last week we talked about the sufficiency of Scripture, and our commitment to growing in reliance on the Bible in areas of our lives where we fall short. As you grow in reliance on the Bible, you will respond to trials—such as the gas prices—with more wisdom and consistency.

Summer is almost here; vacations will begin. Don’t take a summer vacation from your leadership responsibilities. Plan some goals now for this summer.

• Do you have specific, measurable goals for growing in your knowledge of the Bible? If you don’t, why not discuss this with your group, and set at least one specific goal for yourself for the summer months?
• Remember to include what, when, and how. Your plan should have specific steps to do at least weekly.