Purple People Pleaser

For as long as I can remember, I have been enveloped by a cloud that follows me like the little rain clouds that follow cartoon characters. This is not one of those torrential downpour type rain clouds. This is just one of those London, dreary day clouds that pours on some days, drizzles on others, yet on others, just keeps a shadow over my life. I have fought myself and fought the humiliation of others, only to find recently that I was truly disobeying what God commands.

"(5)Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, (6) not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, (7) rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man........" (ESV, Eph. 6:5-7).

The Son is peaking through my cloud a little more each day that I read Paul's words. But what is Christ really saying through Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus? He is not saying that we run around and do everything that we are told like robots on an assembly line. But we must respect our authority figures, respect and adhere to the commands of those appointed as our leaders and "masters." We must work in a way that is not only evident when our earthly "bosses" are looking, but those same "bosses" are not looking and when God always is. Our service to others here on earth is in direct correlation to our service to God. What I am saying is that they are interrelated. Serving those in authority is "doing the will of God from the heart."

We may not always agree with decisions that are made and we may not always agree with the ethics of those appointed over us, but when we live out our own integrity through Christ and for Christ, we begin to lift the basket off the lamp of our Christ following lives and show this world who He really is.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 (ESV), Paul also talks about making it our "(11) ambition to follow a quiet life, to mind [our] own business........(12) so that our daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that [we] will not be dependent on anybody." This does not mean that we become an ostrich and stick out heads in the sand when adversity comes along. This means that we do not make unnecessary waves through disrespect and animosity. We "win the respect of outsiders" by exemplifying Christ through our work ethic in everything that we do. I for one must be someone who stops looking for kudos from the world and starts looking for kudos from the One.

It now makes me uncomfortable when I get praise for playing the drums well during the worship service or when I get an attaboy for working hard to serve. It's not about me anymore, it's about Him. I serve for only one: Jesus Christ. We must also commit to serving our "bosses" just as if we were serving Jesus Christ himself, whether we agree with who they are or not. Warning though: don't compromise your integrity, values, or beliefs just to serve an authority figure.

Serving the One now more than ever,
Jesus Freak Out!