Respect for authority/Working for God
- Emmanuel Awoyelu
- Oct 6, 2024
- 2 min read
For many of us, when we go into work we can have an “us vs them” mentality. This can be the case for a lot of reasons including being burnt by former employers or colleagues. The hardest thing for most of us is demonstrating and maintaining respect for our leaders and those in position of authority.
“Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.”
Romans 13:2-4 ESV
I’ve certainly struggled to show any grace towards leaders who I don’t respect but the Bible tells us that God puts people in positions of authority over us and we are to honour them as people who have been placed in thsoe those positions whether or not we see it as for our own good.
If it helps, the Bible also instructs us to labour as if we are working for God.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Colossians 3:23 ESV
This means, we’re less likely to feel complacent or hold on to egregious decisions made by others if we see the work we’re doing as an offering to God. Easier said than done but it’s a principle that guarantees our conduct remains consistent and that we are more likely to experience favour from our colleagues and employers than if we were not to use this approach.
コメント