1Peter 2:18-23 You household servants must submit yourselves to your masters with all fear, not only to those who are kind and fair, but also to those who are unjust. For it is a fine thing if, when moved by your conscience to please God, you suffer patiently when wronged. What credit is it if you sin and patiently receive a beating for it? But if you suffer for doing good and take it patiently, you have God's approval. This is, in fact, what you were called to do, because Christ also suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps. "He never committed a sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was insulted, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he did not threaten but made it his habit to commit the matter to the one who judges fairly.
Submitting to anyone, especially difficult employers is never easy. However the difficulty pales when you compare it to what Christ went through. He submitted to the authorities, allowed Himself to be falsely accused, beaten, humiliated, and killed when He did nothing wrong. All He did was spent three years constantly serving others, healing people, raising the dead, teaching people how to live, how to have a relationship with God, and He told the truth. He admitted He was God. If anyone had a reason to retaliate it was Jesus. He also had the ability to strike everyone dead just by speaking a word or two, yet He held back on using His powers and humbly submitted.
In today's society everyone is worried about getting what is, in their opinion, rightfully theirs. Standing up for one's rights seems to be a bigger concern than doing a good job and living a Christian life. The focus is on ourselves and on what everyone else is getting or doing instead of on God and what He wants us to do. By submitting and showing respect for the authority of the boss, especially a difficult boss, we are living a witness to everyone around us. Even the difficult boss could be won over to Christ if given a chance to see how Christ works in the lives of the employees.
We submit to an employer by:
Faithfully do what they ask, as long as it isn't illegal or immoral. Remember Joseph served faithfully, but refused Potipher's wife's advances. Daniel and his three friends respectfully served the king, but refused to bow to his idol.
Putting your best effort into your work and working the whole time you're being paid to work.
Never gossip. Refuse to be part of an employer bashing conversation.
Pray, pray, pray for help to remain humble and respectful in action and in words.
God is not asking anything of us that He hasn't had to do Himself. What Jesus did at the cross, was not just for the people living there at the time. He did it for you and me. It's our job to show others that He is worth knowing and serving. Our actions speak loudly of our beliefs and of our walk with God.
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