From "Fruity-Tooty," to Fruit of the Spirit

“Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”

                                                         Colossians 3:23-25 (NASB)

 

Our discussion of this passage in Sunday School reminds me of a horribly embarrassing and shameful moment in my life - and of the blessings of the Lord’s conviction and discipline.

I once had an unbelieving boss whom I didn’t really like. He did things differently than the way I thought they should be done. He assigned me to do things that I thought weren’t necessary. I felt misunderstood, misused, and under-appreciated. I dragged my feet on things that he gave me to do that I didn’t like, and I resisted submitting myself to his authority.

So I did what every upstanding Christian man should do (NOT!): I made fun of him behind his back, and criticized him among my peers.

The part of the Colossians passage about the fact that we “will receive the consequences of the wrong” that we have done came true for me one day when I sent an email to a colleague whose desk was near his. What I didn’t know is that she set her email to display in extra large letters.

I don’t remember what the email was about, but as my boss - whose last name was Fruitrich - walked by her desk, he saw my reference to him as “Fruity-Tooty.”

Clever huh?

My boss didn’t think so, either.

A few minutes later I received an email from my boss letting me know how upset he was.

I felt horrible. So I did another thing that every upstanding Christian should do (NOT!): I tried to play dumb, as if I didn’t know what he was talking about.

But God convicted me in a few short and painful minutes that not only what I had called him was flat wrong, but also what I called him was born out of a poor attitude, a bitter heart. Not only did I need to apologize to him, admitting that what I’d done was wrong, but I also needed to change my heart toward him.

In other words, I was sinning.

God brought this very passage in Colossians to mind. He convicted me of the fact that I’m not even a slave, so if a person in physical bondage to another human being could have the guts to live by the power of Christ, then surely, so should I.

Face to face, I apologized to my boss that day. It was a very difficult thing to do! I acknowledged that what I had said was wrong, and let him know how sorry I was that I had hurt him. I have always been thankful that he received my apology, because in human terms, he really didn’t have to.

But I knew that it wasn’t over with my apology to him. The Holy Spirit convicted me that I need to change my heart toward my boss. God led me to talk to my two of my co-workers, who were also believers, including the woman to whom I’d sent the email, and we agreed that all of us needed to do so. God gave us the strength to begin to really serve my boss.

So, setting aside reluctance, I began to do my boss’s assignments with enthusiasm. Instead of criticism, I strived to make the most of whatever assignments he gave me. Instead of focusing on myself, on my own ideas and wants, I strived to grasp his ideas and make them fly.

When he gave me an assignment to do, I worked hard to do it cheerfully. The only questions I asked were designed to better understand his concept of things, so that I could do a better job of satisfying him. I was working hard to put him first.

I was learning to do my job as for the Lord! As my colleagues and I learned this, God changed our hearts. We no longer held contempt for him, or had know-it-all attitudes. We learned to do our jobs with the “sincerity of heart” of which the passage speaks. We began to exhibit the fruit of the spirit to our boss - and it felt so much better than before, because we knew we were pleasing our Lord!

And another interesting thing happened: the work of our whole department improved. We became more and more creative, and all of us – my boss included – began to work better and better together.

We became a team: A really good team!

But the most amazing part of this miracle to me was the fact that we began to really like our boss. He became a human being with whom we shared joys and sorrows, rather than an adversary. We became friends! The feeling was mutual, too.

When he moved on to another job, I was very sad to see him go. He was a great boss. After God showed me how to be a better man of faith, God helped me to see that. It became a joy to serve the Lord by living out my faith in such a real way.

So as you apply your life to God’s word, to what He says in this passage, whether you are striving to serve the Lord on the field of sport, or on stage, or in the workplace, or wherever the Lord leads you, remember that the Holy Spirit is always there, and seek His counsel. Be ready for His conviction to stir your heart, and welcome His presence, even if it hurts - and respond in obedience and gratefulness!