The Boss of the Boss

"And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’ " (Matthew 28:18)

Just before we left our grandchildren in West Virginia, we gave each of them a pump water cannon. The day after we arrived back in California, our six-year-old granddaughter called us on the phone.

"Gramma, will you tell Mom that I can play with my water cannon?"

"I don’t know, Alicia. Why did she say you couldn’t?"

"She said it’s too chilly today."

"Well, if your mother said no, I can’t help you."

"Why not, Gramma? You’re her mom. She has to do what you tell her to do."

Alicia had already learned that each of us must bow to a higher authority. Unfortunately, this higher authority agreed with her mom!

Most of us as we go through life have times when we want to appeal to a higher authority — to reverse decisions that have gone against us. Frequently we, too, don’t agree with an answer that God gives us.

Alicia’s mom loved her enough to take good care of her and prevent her from getting wet and chilled. Just so, God loves us enough to say "no" to those things that ultimately would be bad for us. Bowing gracefully to God’s authority is one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn. It’s never easy, is it? But it’s never too late to start bowing to a gracious Lord.

Beyond the Door
1. How interestingly a child’s mind works. Of course, the mother of a mother would be a higher authority! How interestingly the child’s (and adult’s!) mind works — assuming that the higher authority would always agree with us! How good that God knows what is best for us, regardless of our often misplaced desires. When, in your life, did God have a "better idea" for you than you did for yourself?

2. What can you do to seek to know God’s will for your life more fully? God is forever calling to us to listen. When we do listen, we should be prepared to be "surprised by God," the same way that author C. S. Lewis was "surprised by joy," when God came into his life and Lewis recognized it.

3. When has God already surprised you in your life?

4. The author is right: it is never too late to give praise, and ourselves, to a gracious God. Check out Romans 12:1–2 to see what our "spiritual worship" toward God is, so that we can "discern what is the will of God.