Acknowledgements 4 First thoughts 5. Sample

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1 CONTENTS Acknowledgements 4 First thoughts 5 Second thoughts 6 Third thoughts 8 Fourth thoughts 9 1 Into the lion s den 11 2 Another day, another dime? 27 3 Winning away 37 4 The camomile factor 43 5 Edge without guilt 55 6 Getting going 71 7 Getting a life 75 8 The body business 89 9 Romeo/Juliet Work is a seven-letter word Who s the king of the castle? Rebel, rebel Life on the crash-barrier Lies r us When the heat is on You re the boss too? 167 Resources 178

2 Chapter 12 REBEL, REBEL or No hard feelings? How can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:4 This chapter is, if you like, a time for you to pause and reflect on some of your attitudes to authority in general and to your boss in particular. In seminars I have taught, I have found that this exercise is helpful and sometimes surprising for people. You may discover attitudes you never knew were there. And sometimes even attitudes you definitely thought were not there. For the most part this chapter contains verses from scripture unadorned by commentary. Read them slowly perhaps and see if the Holy Spirit brings something to mind as you consider for yourself how these verses might apply to you. Our boss s authority is from God and we are to submit to it. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1 131

3 Thank God it s Monday We submit to our boss s authority to adorn the Good News. Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive. God is our real boss. Titus 2:9 10 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23 24 God is in control of our careers, promotions, success and failure. For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert does promotion come; but God is the judge. He puts down one and promotes another. God loves your boss. Psalm 75:6, 7; New Berkeley Version For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 We shouldn t criticise our boss publicly or encourage complaints. An example: Absalom s public criticism of David, his father (2 Sam 15:1 6). The situation: Absalom, harbouring anger against David, spends four years standing by the road on the way up to the city, ingratiating himself with passers-by and promising them favourable justice if only he were appointed judge in the land. Of course, if I were in charge of this business, all would be well 132

4 Rebel, rebel We owe our boss outward and heart-felt loyalty, regardless of whether it s beneficial to us in the short-term. An example: Ittai the Gittite (2 Sam 15:14 23). The situation: after years of trying to undermine David s authority, Absalom has finally rebelled openly. David is forced to flee from Jerusalem. Ittai the Gittite and his 600 men are with him. Ittai is not an Israelite, he has no binding obligation to stand with David against Absalom, and he only arrived in Jerusalem the day before the rebellion broke out. Furthermore, David has expressly released him from any duty to go with him. But Ittai has made a commitment to David. It s a commitment that may well result in his death but it s one that he sticks by: As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be. This is loyalty. And, though the circumstances are almost too extreme to find contemporary comparisons, what level of loyalty do you feel towards your boss? We need to make sure we have flushed out any unresolved anger, resentments or negative feelings. They lead to cake on the suit or perhaps a spear in the wall. To some significant extent I may well have been harbouring unconfessed resentments towards those in authority over me, which contributed to the intensity of my response to having cream cake daubed over my suit. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31 Questions to ask, verses to consider Am I selfishly ambitious? For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find dis- 133

5 Thank God it s Monday order and every evil practice. James 3:16 Am I really considering my boss s needs? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Am I trying to take the credit? Philippians 2:3 4 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Am I proud? 2 Corinthians 10:18 (see also Luke 14:7 11) To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech. Proverbs 8:13 Am I really submitting to my boss s authority? Or simply doing what I m told? Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them Titus 2:9 Do I genuinely forgive my boss when he does something wrong? Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (see also Matthew 18:21 22) Do I love my boss and actively seek opportunities to express that love? 134 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

6 Rebel, rebel Do I fail to see opportunities in apparently adverse circumstances? Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2 3 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. Philippians 1:12 14 Do I communicate my problems with my boss to him? And do I do this lovingly? Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 The principle of Matthew 18:15 probably also applies, even though the original context relates to problems between Christians: If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. As you have reflected on your relationship with your boss, what discoveries have you made? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 135