The Boss Of Me

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV)

 

I make no bones about it when asked. I don’t consider it one of my “skeletons in the closet” either but as far back as I can remember I’ve been one to rebel. If ya asked my mother she’d pretty much say, “He was obstinate then and he’s still obstinate.” Not exactly words of encouragement but, after all, she is the one that had to listen me repeat the lines from the song, Baba O’Riley. “I don’t need to fight. To prove I’m right. I don’t need to be forgiven.” Years later, I still kinda feel that I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right BUT man, oh man, do I need to be truly forgiven.

Ya know, given the state of things around us it isn’t hard for anyone to kick against the goads. It seems that the proverbial goal posts are constantly being moved, new “guidelines” are turning into actual laws and EVERYONE (including yours truly) has suddenly become an expert on running a country. Even some church folk have become somewhat entrenched into one position or another and I’ll be the first to admit that there were (are) times when I go, “If I hear Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-14 or to be humble and Christ-like one more time, I’m just gonna lose my…” (best to just stop there). Anyway!!

In all this back and forth on how I should be conducting myself while around various people during this difficult time, I do find moments of complete silence. That’s when Scripture seems to speak at its best. One particular morning, while getting a cup of coffee I heard, “Do everything as unto the Lord.” It wasn’t loud nor did it have that condescending tone that makes my skin crawl, just simply, “Do everything as unto the Lord.” Time to open the Bible and see what thus saith the Lord.

I’m pretty familiar with my opening verses for today. This really starts out with the apostle Paul giving instruction to slaves. He encourages them to, “obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.” (Col 3:22) Now in any translation that you choose to read it’ll be the ending of the verse that matters. I, myself, like seeing “your reverent fear of the Lord.” For me, this is a strong reminder about where my focus actually needs to be with regards on why I need to be mindful of those around me, whether I agree with them or not.

And, as we move into the following verse in Colossians 3:23, we’ll see how Paul will say, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” This automatically tells me that if I really have a healthy, reverent fear of the Lord then it will be from that where I will draw my motivation to do what is right, whether men are for it or not. Now I’d like to turn your attention, for a moment, to that infamous motivational speaker…King David.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

This verse from the Treasury of David gives me all the reason why I need to take the commandments of men with a grain of salt. Yes, it is true that God will allow the wrong man to take up occupancy on a throne but it isn’t THE throne and if I’m maintaining that reverent fear of the Lord then I also understand that, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:1) whether the king likes it or not.

All in all, I have to come to terms with who is the boss of me. In the first place, it ain’t me. Given my track record with me handling me, I have come to take, “So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired” (Romans 1:24a) very seriously. However, I cast a wary eye upon those people who have been given charge over matters that does affect my daily living, after all, we’re all part of The Fall, whether we like it or not.

Ultimately, The Boss of bosses is The King of kings and The Lord of lords. So, when Jesus finally broke it down so His disciples could understand, He would say to them, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) So why rebel? Amen?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a husband, a father, has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

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Think About This: “Be hard on yourself and easy on others. Carry your cross but never lay one on the back of another.” — A.W. Tozer

The Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 47-51 | You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, -1 Peter 1:6-7

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.