At one time, I was planning on being a pharmacist. I had been accepted into the School of Pharmacy at the University of Georgia and was already working as an intern the summer before I started. The store manager and head pharmacist was named "Terry". He was easy to work for but he did mean business when he told me to do something.
One day, after I had completed a job Terry told me to do, he asked me why I wanted to work for his drug store. I said, "Terry, I am here to make you successful." What I meant without saying it was that I was there to submit to him because I knew that God had placed him in authority over me. He didn't quite know what to say. (BTW it's a good thing I didn't become a pharmacist because I would have accidentally killed someone!)
What would you think if I told you that you are a "submitter" by nature? That is a made up word but it is a good one. You see, everywhere in God's Word He tells us to obey Him. He is telling us to live like who we already are in Christ. And He tells us to submit in several areas of our lives.
To submit in the New Testament means to make a choice in our hearts and minds to do what someone over us is asking us to do. This does not mean we will always agree or that we need to submit without sometimes voicing a difference of opinion. But the key here is that we are making a choice to live under this person or institution's authority because it fits who we are in Christ and pleases the Lord.
We are free in Christ to submit to our government, our boss, our husband, our parents when we are children and mutually to each other. Here are some Scriptures about our freedom to obey God by submitting. Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 6:1-9; James 4:7; Ephesians 5:21-32.
Let's be careful, though. We can submit according to the flesh because we want to people please, making it something we "have" to do. The tell-tale sign of fleshly submission is resentment. Submission, according to the Spirit, is something we want to do out of who we are in Christ, even if we don't feel like it. It's a choice we make ahead of time. This kind of submission frees us to give a different opinion at times to those in authority to see if they will change their mind. Then we can leave the results to God being willing to submit to whatever they decide.
One of the questions about living as a "submitter" is what to do when we are asked to do something unbiblical or if someone wants to abuse us. Of course, God does not want us to submit to those situations but let's just make sure what we are being asked to do is truly unbiblical or that it really is abuse.
If you find yourself struggling with living as a "submitter" please give us a call at 704-522-9026 and we will provide a free counseling consultation. More and more people around the country are using our Skype counseling option. Once you experience the first appointment online, it's like being there live. Of course, if you live close enough, we invite you to come to one of our five locations including our Asheville office. We also provide 3 and 5 day intensives.
Live Free In Christ,
One day, after I had completed a job Terry told me to do, he asked me why I wanted to work for his drug store. I said, "Terry, I am here to make you successful." What I meant without saying it was that I was there to submit to him because I knew that God had placed him in authority over me. He didn't quite know what to say. (BTW it's a good thing I didn't become a pharmacist because I would have accidentally killed someone!)
What would you think if I told you that you are a "submitter" by nature? That is a made up word but it is a good one. You see, everywhere in God's Word He tells us to obey Him. He is telling us to live like who we already are in Christ. And He tells us to submit in several areas of our lives.
To submit in the New Testament means to make a choice in our hearts and minds to do what someone over us is asking us to do. This does not mean we will always agree or that we need to submit without sometimes voicing a difference of opinion. But the key here is that we are making a choice to live under this person or institution's authority because it fits who we are in Christ and pleases the Lord.
We are free in Christ to submit to our government, our boss, our husband, our parents when we are children and mutually to each other. Here are some Scriptures about our freedom to obey God by submitting. Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 6:1-9; James 4:7; Ephesians 5:21-32.
Let's be careful, though. We can submit according to the flesh because we want to people please, making it something we "have" to do. The tell-tale sign of fleshly submission is resentment. Submission, according to the Spirit, is something we want to do out of who we are in Christ, even if we don't feel like it. It's a choice we make ahead of time. This kind of submission frees us to give a different opinion at times to those in authority to see if they will change their mind. Then we can leave the results to God being willing to submit to whatever they decide.
One of the questions about living as a "submitter" is what to do when we are asked to do something unbiblical or if someone wants to abuse us. Of course, God does not want us to submit to those situations but let's just make sure what we are being asked to do is truly unbiblical or that it really is abuse.
If you find yourself struggling with living as a "submitter" please give us a call at 704-522-9026 and we will provide a free counseling consultation. More and more people around the country are using our Skype counseling option. Once you experience the first appointment online, it's like being there live. Of course, if you live close enough, we invite you to come to one of our five locations including our Asheville office. We also provide 3 and 5 day intensives.
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding
No comments:
Post a Comment