Responding to authority…

 

Before I became a Christian, I worked for an advertising agency, mostly doing ad layouts and running errands for my boss. Two others also worked there and when they quit, I was expected to do their work too, and without a raise in pay. At the time, this seemed unfair.

Since then, I’ve not had to work outside my home and any money earned is from being self-employed, yet I can relate to today’s devotional reading. As it says, my boss is not a person and not even me, but the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (Ephesians 6:5–9)

Piper says whatever I’m asked to do by a supervisor should generally be viewed as an appeal from the Lord. Back then at my job, I didn’t know the Lord, but I can see now how He used that job experience to teach me to be loyal and work hard. The Bible addresses any complaining I might have made then with this:

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. (1 Peter 2:18–19)

And the Ephesians passage says that God actually takes care of the raise in pay, not that He gives more money for doing good work but that He blesses those who do their best because the work is done in faith. In other words, this attitude of respect and being gracious to those in authority over me comes from Him, so any goodness is from Him, done in the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Those who live that way know that no other reward is needed! Living for the Lord and for His glory is its own blessing. As Jesus said:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

The challenge for me is letting my light shine so others can see it in such a way that God is glorified. This is an often misunderstood concept. Usually, when myself or others are praised, it is a pat on the back. However, at a conference I praised the organizer and she said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) That was a pleasant surprise and a response to emulate. It is very easy to take credit and rob the rightful One to which it is due. 

LORD: How easy to work for human praise. I’ve been criticized for not ‘showing off’ my work by those who do not understand why I avoid self-glory. At the same time, You make me aware that I should never avoid good works — as long as I remember and do them in the ability You give. You say to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10) I also need to leave all misinterpretations in Your hands and refuse to lift up my hands to pat myself on the back.

Only a glove. . . .

 

While Christians cannot ‘save’ others, nor can unsaved people all by themselves make a decision to believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit works with God’s people to make things happen. Like a hand in a glove (we are the glove) He moves and reveals Himself through our obedience and our lives. Consider what the Bible says about the effect our actions can have:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12)

My obedience to God can cause others to glorify Him. Loving other Christians tells unbelievers that I follow Jesus. Obedience and a godly life may get me persecuted but when the Holy Spirit visits them, they will be receptive and glorify God because of what they saw.

I’ve heard said that as a forgiven child of God, I am free to live this new life, but that freedom is not about doing as I please. Gloves cannot move about or do anything without that almighty Hand that is in them.

Piper’s devotional points out that this is not just about spiritual activities. He talks about “all things” including business, industry, education, media, sports, arts, leisure, government, and all else. I’m aware that I’m not to be a mere ‘Sunday’ Christian, but to recognize Him and trust Him 24/7. Learning and doing this may take a lifetime, but His goal for me is transformation into the image of Christ. He exemplifies a perfect ‘glove’ in His yielded life.
Piper points out that there will never be a time before the return of Christ when all people will honor him as supreme. This emphasizes the importance of doing what He says now:

Since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:6–10)

I’ve no idea whose lives will change because Jesus used me to show love to others, to behave as He obeyed in all areas of my life, to be motivated by the Spirit instead of following my “I-wants” instead of doing His will. But I’m finally learning that from the moment I rise up each day, to turn immediately to Him in worship and in an attitude of yielded listening. I’m only a glove so have no idea what He can do with that except that He says He can use it to change the lives of others.

PRAY: Jesus, You have a way of hugging me and making me feel very small at the same time.  I’ve no idea what this day will bring. I just want Your Spirit to keep my attention so that Your thoughts and Your will takes priority in whatever comes along.

The Battle and my Weapon

 

Our congregation often sings “Battle Belongs” with a chorus says, “So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high. Oh God, the battle belongs to You. And every fear I lay at Your feet. I'll sing through the night. Oh God, the battle belongs to You.”

I’ve heard some say our battle is with false teachers and we must silence them. Others say our battle is to persuade God to change His mind and do what we ask (no kidding). In my experience, the battle is mostly in my mind and heart. Satan wants me to believe him instead of God, and forget about praying particularly, for as the song says, I fight on my knees, nor against God or people:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

These spiritual hosts of wickedness are so successful that many churches no longer have prayer meetings and many Christians consider prayer as their last resort — to be used when their own efforts fail. However, Paul the super-saint told us to wear our God-given spiritual armor and gave this as the reason:

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints . . .  (Ephesians 6:17–18)

Prayer is a battle against the lies of our enemy. To do battle, we need the armor to protect ourselves and it is essentially the truth in God’s Word, and we need the sword to fight back, also God’s Word. That means if we are going to defeat the Liar and render his tactics useless, we need to know the Word of God and use it rightly.

MacArthur likens Bible study to the way some creatures approach a flower. Some people are like butterflies, going from one favorite verse to another, one seminar to another, or one book to another. They are busy but have little to show for it because they never delve into the Word wholeheartedly, just flutter around the edges. Butterflies look pretty but they don’t live very long.

This reminds me of a certain cult. Those who study cults say that this particular one picks verses that sound in harmony with what they want to believe and do not read more than 10% of the Bible.

Some study the Word of God more like a botanist. They go into it in great depth, take notes to figure it out,  but without applying it to their lives. Entire commentaries have been written by unbelievers. A few might understand what it says yet do not take it personally. They are like those who boasted to Jesus of their righteousness and He told them, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” Christians can make the same error by taking a scholarly approach to the Bible but failing to apply it to their lives.

The third example is a bee that spends time in the flower, takes from it, gets filled and shares the results with the hive. To battle the enemy, I need to be like a bee, spending time in the Word — reading, studying, taking notes, being filled with Biblical insights and letting the results show in my life.

These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13)

Being like a bee means using what God teaches me in this battle to defeat the Liar, not only in my own life but to share with others, both in words and deeds. Jesus said,

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

The light of the world is not a flickering on/off/truth/lie message. It is also not a glaring spotlight of accusation that blinds people to the light of Christ. Many images dart through my mind with these thoughts, but the most important truth is that I need to give God’s Word a priority place in my life or I will not be able to see what God wants to show me, or be a light to those in danger of plunging into deep darkness.

PRAY: Jesus, I heard this week how those who know You and Your Word are leading people out of darkness and into Your light. Thank You for the encouragement to keep reading, studying, praying and not giving up in this battle against the evil one. Keep me and protect me, and most of all, speak truth continually into my life.

PONDER: Remember what James 1:22–27 says. Doing what God wants includes taking care of the needy but also avoiding worldliness, speaking truth, and knowing when to keep my mouth shut.