Daily Devotional for December 1, 2021

Over the years, one of the most frustrating things I’ve dealt with in our church office is the copier from hell.

If ever there was a copier that needed an exorcism, this was it.

Finally, after years and years of struggling with a copier that was not up to the task, Melissa signed a contract with a new company.  They sent us the same copier used by NASA, the Pentagon, and the Vatican.  I was truly impressed.

After the installers finished hooking up everything to this technological miracle, I walked into the workroom to make a copy.  That was the moment Melissa looked at me and said, “Don’t touch it.”

As I explained to Melissa that, as the senior pastor, I was the boss, I noticed her face turning red, veins popped out on her forehead, she clinched both fists, and was shaking.  I decided it was in my personal interest to not touch the copier.  It was a good decision.

Melissa’s scary reaction to hearing I was the boss got me thinking.

Theoretically, as senior pastor, I am the boss of the church staff, but the reality is, I’m the low man on the totem pole.  I’m good with that.  Besides, there’s only one real boss.

I think we would all be much better off if one of the ways we viewed God was as our boss.  That’s because you don’t argue, procrastinate, or refuse to do the boss’s bidding, otherwise you wouldn’t have a job.

Instead, too often, I take God’s commandments in scripture as nothing more than really good suggestions that I can either take or leave.  It’s as if there is no requirement to follow them – but there is.  The Boss says so.

If my faith is real, it is demonstrated in all my actions.  I no longer get to pick and choose the scripture passages that fit my mood for the day.  I have to do whatever my Boss tells me.

The Boss tells me to forgive, even when I don’t want to.  The Boss tells me to help others, even if it is inconvenient.  The Boss tells me I must love and pray for my enemies, even if I’d rather throw them off a cliff.  The Boss tells me to be very careful in using language that builds someone up, even when I want to tear them down.  The Boss’s rules are not negotiable.  If I lived by them, my life would be a whole lot easier, happier, and holy.

This is what King Solomon, the wisest person God ever created, meant by saying, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:6)

In a world where many of us feel as if we are spiritually self-employed, it is important to remember we have a Boss.  That’s what saves us.  It’s a good thing.

Prayer:  Dear Gracious Heavenly God, please continually remind me that working for you does not mean I have the right to pick and choose what parts of your will I follow.  Give me the wisdom to see your way is always best.  Give me the resolve to carry out you will.  Give me the humility to see that you are my boss.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

God’s the Boss.  Praise God.

Also, just for the record, when Melissa’s not looking, I am going to sneak into the workroom and make a copy – just because.

My motto is:  What Melissa doesn’t know won’t hurt me.

I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins