True meaning of submitting to your authorities

Colossians 3:22-24, “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

1 Peter 2:18, “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.”

God wants us to be submissive to both our spiritual leaders as well as secular leaders regardless whether they are good or bad.

A few days ago, I was reading Kate McVeigh: 12 ways to be a blessing to your church,
In one of the chapters, I thought it gave a very good description of what it meant by submission. In essence, the author wrote:

Agreeing with what your leader asks you to do does not involve submission. You do not submit until you disagree with what your authority asks you to do. What it means to say is if you are in the shoes of your leader, you will not handle the matter in the manner you leader does. Nevertheless you choose to obey and follow what your leaders says even though you think your idea is so much better than your leader’s.

Recently, I was ordering a plate of grilled fish with two side dishes from a hawker during lunch. While I was pondering what side dishes to choose from, the hawker took the initiative to make his recommendations fervently. He ended his recommendation with the following words which I was quite impressed. He concluded his recommendation with, “Sir, my suggestion, your decision.” I think this saying fits very well into the context that was shared above. Our attitude towards our leaders should be “My suggestion, your decision.”

I have witnessed several instances of people falling off with their leaders in both the secular world and in church as a result of not submitting to their authorities. It affects both parties ultimately.

Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Hence what I read is a good reminder for me to consistently watch out for this aspect of my Christian walk as an employee as well as a church member. As what Pastor Amos said several times, “Humility is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength!”

Steve