A word from heaven.

<$BlogDateHeaderDate$>

"When there is no BOSS in your life,
you become GOD"

Does that statement strike a cord in you?

Have you been a Christian for many years and you're "senior" enough to know what's best for yourself and can handle all the "basics" well. "I've been there done that, and seen it all"

Have you been a leader in the church for a long time and is "senior" enough to be allowed to run the show on your own. Basically, you're on your own? Even when you account things, it has got to do more with ministry and doing things rather than your inner struggles. You have a boss in name and in the structure, but in spirit, you're your own boss.

Or have you simply been keeping things and handling things on your own accord that no one else is allowed to speak into that area except "God" himself. I placed the "" there because God works through the principle of accountability when it comes to tackling sins and growing in our lives.

Worse still, are you such a boss and senior enough that there is no real need to grow the inner man another more. In your own words, "I think I'm alright now" You're basically your own boss and you report to your own conscience. Do you know how dangerous that is? Our own conscience can be desensitized and rationalized. That is one sign of spiritual complacency.

The above can happen to another one whether you're a leader or not. But it is more dangerous for leaders because all these can be masked in the midst of serving God. The higher you go, the less people you have in your life who can, or is in the position to question you.

If you're a pastor or a church planter today or will be one in future, it becomes even more evident. If you are not brutally honest in reporting to someone and becoming more like "The Boss" each day, you're becoming more God each day.

You see, in the generation Y, we are used to being our own boss. Not used to be disciplined, more pampered, having our way in things and to lead your own life. Some may tend to be rebellious, just don't like people to tell you what to do. We may manifest it in different ways.

My shepherd once told me this before that "Parents have failed to discipline their child, so has the school and if the church is to fail as well, there is no hope for the society." We're seeing this happen to many people around us.

When we think we're the boss and there is no boss over us, we allow pride to come in. We're on top of the food chain and no one eats us. We become God.

We make decisions unilaterally.
We face problems and attempts to troubleshoot ourselves not even attempting to check with someone if the method of troubleshoot is biblical.
We cover up or sweep under the carpet some of the sins that we are too prideful to even face.
We become infallible.
We think better of ourselves than we really are.
We don't allow anyone to speak into us consistently.
We dare to share from a point of victory only, but not often, our weaknesses. Even when we share our weaknesses, it is to show that we're human cause it is the "model answer".

God has instituted people in our lives to be our boss. Only than will we really appreciate and understand what God as the boss means. When we don't see anyone above us, likelihood is that we won't see God above us.

24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
~ Proverbs 13:24 ~

Sometimes when we are abit more mature in Christ, there is more mutual respect between ourselves and our overseers. It happens more so especially when we're grown ups and in adulthood. I realised that sometimes this mutual respect can cause us to elevate ourselves to the level of our overseers and sub consciously, to the level of God. That's when we become boss. There is nothing wrong with mutual respect, but do not allow it to become a reason to lose our fear for authority and our reverent fear for God. (Having said that, a balance must be struck between being strict with the people in our charge and being patient and gracious. That's when wisdom comes in yeah?)

Always always always have someone in your life whom you give an account of your life to, no matter what role you may be playing or how "senior" you are. It is for your own good. In Hebrews, the author understands in no uncertain terms of how dangerous it is to become "The Boss".

12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
~ Hebrews 5:12 ~

I find myself growing so much more after i started to Account Dangerously. Something i am trying to do is to send my overseer regular emails about my unprocessed thoughts. I know that once i process them, i may start filtering what i should say and i should not say. After that, i hope to progressively process them and will share and give an account about what i am doing to those areas of my life in subsequent emails. The emails include the deepest and ugliest of thoughts and even thoughts that are not "myself", in another words, thoughts in the stage of denial.

The thoughts of, will my shepherd accept me? What if i am too sinful for my leader? They are of the devil. In fact, i found myself trusting my leader more and our relationship going beyond the superficial as a result of this. No sheep is ever too sinful yeah?

In the eyes of the world, the things i account would render me unfit for further service within the organisation but in the eyes of God, the very fact that i keep myself accountable renders me fit for further service as long as i keep to biblical advice after that.

No longer are things swept under the carpet and it forced myself to stare at sin straight in the face. It forced me to look at the unseen and to dig up the dirt within the inner man - Something that only you can help yourself to.

As a result of doing that, i find myself going to God with a clean heart, knowing that God has prescribed the medicine called "accountability" and "teachability" for the sins in my life beyond knowing that i am forgiven because of the blood of Christ.

That does not mean i have no backbone and depend very much on my overseer to give me directions. A wise overseer will not give you the solution directly all the time but understand the need for a person to struggle, the need for grace and patience. In fact, when i account, i don't look for solutions from my overseer, though if they come, they are very much valued. It helps me to be under spiritual covering and at the correct time, biblical advice will be dispensed, and other times, allowing myself time to make sense of things.

If you find yourself being The Boss today, make a covenant with your overseer today to want to let him be the boss in your life so that you'll let God be the boss in your life. Remember,

"When there is no Boss in your life, you become God"

Regards,

jie hui

Labels: Christian Living 2

The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

2 Comments

Wednesday, December 31, 2008