Authority
 
The second element which comes from the hand of God is authority. God establishes all authority that exists (Rom 13:1) and places us in families and nations (Acts 17:26). While authority has deteriorated from its original created state affecting all human relationships, God desires that we honor parents, government, church and employers as Jesus honors God the Father (1 Cor 15:27-28).
 
 
  

In the rare occasion we are asked by our authority to do something wrong, we can follow the example of Daniel's life (Dan 1:1-16). In general, however, our authority directs us within the boundaries of God's standards. Our struggle is typically differences in preference. 

We can either accept or reject the authority God brings into our lives. If we habitually reject authority we will be broken "beyond remedy" (Prov 29:1). If we reject and blame authority, we ultimately reject God. Note again that blame is linked to the guilt-blame scale in the lower right-hand corner. If we honor the authorities God places in our lives, we ultimately honor His authority (Rom 13:1-7, Eph 6:5-8) and reflect His image.