Who’s The Boss?

Who’s the Boss?

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”

Matthew 28:18

All authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

Romans 13:1

What would it be like if you showed up for a job one day and your boss was Jesus? How would you treat your boss? How would you interact with your coworkers? How would it affect the quality of the work you do and your attitude as you do it? The truth is, no matter who our human boss or authority is, no matter what we’re doing, whether it is volunteer work or schoolwork or paid work, we are really working for Jesus.

And this truth really helps us when we don’t like what we’ve been asked to do. Because if we see Jesus as our boss, we want to please him. That gives us the extra push to complete unpleasant tasks. Knowing Jesus is our real boss also helps us when we don’t like our human bosses or leaders. We’re able to treat those in authority over us with respect, whether they’ve earned it or not, because we know that God has placed them in those positions. We can relax knowing those people are accountable to God for how they use their power. Seeing Jesus as our boss also helps us to do the right thing when we’re tempted to cut corners, not finish the job, or take credit we don’t deserve. We know that Jesus is always with us. He sees what we do and what we don’t do. He can see our disrespectful thoughts and self-serving motives. So whatever we’re doing—school, work, or other activities—we can remind ourselves that he’s the one we’re ultimately responsible to.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Think through different jobs people have. What would it mean for each person to do his or her job as “working for the Lord”?

If you are a student and your work is your schoolwork, what do you think it would look like to consider Jesus the boss of your class time and homework?

Do you need to change any work habits or attitudes based on the truth that you are working for the Lord?