The Necessary Path to Godliness
ICS Daily Devotions
1 Peter 2:18-20 (NKJV) Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
Submission in Hebrew means yielding and assuming a lower position. It has to do with ranking. God is the supreme authority over all authorities that He has established, and He has ordained a structure of authority for the family, company, church, and country. We are instructed to submit to this authority. Submission involves maintaining the right attitude towards work and the superiors God has placed above us. Therefore, opposing our bosses is unwise unless it concerns an ethical or moral issue.
We all have different expectations of our bosses, and there are various types of leaders. Nevertheless, the Bible encourages us to be submissive to our bosses. It is commendable to submit and continue to produce good work under a demanding and challenging boss. Submitting to our bosses is key to being successful in the marketplace. This can be challenging and complex and involves laying ourselves down, which takes humility and dealing with our attitudes. Nonetheless, the level of peace and joy we experience in the workplace often depends on how submissive we are to our bosses.
Some people find it particularly difficult to submit due to their pride and personality. It is easy to think that we can do better than our bosses because of our education, qualification and experience. However, when we make unilateral decisions without consulting our bosses about matters outside of our sphere of responsibility, we encounter problems. All of us are employed as a team to achieve a common goal for the company. The company employed us to resolve their problems and not create issues or disunity. We risk losing our jobs if we do not follow instructions or support the team.
To submit to authority, we must understand and differentiate between the individuals in authority and the positions of authority. We may not like the individuals in authority or agree with their decisions, but we can choose to submit to their positions of authority because we understand the necessity of submitting to them simply because they occupy those positions. Submission is only required when we disagree with a decision; if we agree, no submission is necessary. By separating the two, it becomes easier to submit to the individuals in authority, and God will grant us the grace to do so.
To submit means to yield your will and to obey a command. The Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant understood submission when Jesus gave a command. That’s why he said a Word from Jesus will suffice. This yielding is how God deals with our pride and leads us toward godliness: kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.
Sermon Series: Hopefully Contented
