Respect and Honor

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”

(Titus 3:1-2)

“Bond-servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 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 3:22-24)

     We don't like to obey and we do not like to listen. We modern folks think we have got it all worked out and that we are free first and foremost. It's my life and my choice, right? Well yes and no. I'm not really going to talk about the whole free will issue today, nor am I going to talk about obeying authority really; I'm talking about how we treat authority. How we deal with authority tells a lot about us, perhaps even more than our obedience.

     In the modern world and workforce there is a profound belief in the incompetence of leadership and a general lack of respect for those in higher position. When you're at work and the boss turns the corner do you and your coworkers immediately start to tear him or her down? I think this can be at least partially traced to the general sense of mistrust and even outright hatred for 'companies' and 'corporations' that exists in western culture. I think we also fail to show respect because we want to blame things that annoy us at work on somebody specific and out of a simple sense of jealousy. After all they make more than we do and have more power to boot. Who among us hasn't joked about the incompetent supervisor or the lazy manager or the overbearing executive? Should we though?

     Look at the verses above, Titus says “...to speak evil of no one...”, and in Colossians we are told to “obey in all things your masters...not with eye service...but in sincerity of heart...” In those verses we are shown a standard for dealing with authority. Note especially Colossians, sincerity of heart, we're are specifically commanded to do more than simply follow through on orders but to willingly and energetically serve! The Word reminds us that ultimately we are serving God, albeit through an intermediary. When we fill out that expense report, or send that fax, or clean that fryer, or take out the trash we have an opportunity to serve God in a practical ordinary way and be an example to the world as well. If every one of your coworkers is snarky and barely working and you have a smile and work joyfully, what does that say about you? More importantly what will that say about the God you claim to serve? An honest, sincere, and earnest life when accompanied by an outspoken and loving faith can be a powerful testimony to the world around you.

     Another thing to consider, as I said before, do you mock that boss of yours when they're not around? I don't even care if they are incompetent or lazy or not terribly intelligent, their the boss and God commands that we show the position honor! Titus tells us above not only “...to be subject to rulers and authorities,” but to “...speak evil of no man.” What kind of witness are you showing to your coworkers when you tear down that authority and do you think that the command to speak no evil extends to everyone except your annoying manager? I'm not saying that we shouldn't work to fix incompetencies or be insufferable brown-nosers, it's just that we are to live noble and peaceful lives while we walk this earth, and above that to be project the image of the invisible God to the eyes of men. Take care and think about how your behavior reflects on God and yourself. Maybe showing that frustrating boss some honor will inspire others to do the same and maybe that boss will work to be worthy of that honor you show. Ultimately though, we are commanded to show honor and to obey as to to God so to men. Remember we were all sinners and we are none of us perfect, don't look down on someone for their imperfections as if you were sparkling clean.

**Final note**

     Don't think that to obey authorities we should simply do anything and everything we are told to do. We are not slaves to men. Even those who were (or are in some places of the world) are first beholden to God. We obey up until the point those orders conflict with the express will of God.

“Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard."

(Acts 4:19-20)

"We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men.“

(Acts 5:28-29)