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Undercover Boss

By January 30, 2012August 30th, 2022Devotional

I worked a little late this evening and by the time that Janet and I sat down to watch TV, we decided that we would rather watch something that was on TV last evening. So we checked the recorded programs and settled on a something we both enjoy. Frankly, a relatively new program, Undercover Boss, that airs on Sunday evenings, has become one of my favorites. Admittedly, the plot is pretty much the same each week. In case you are not familiar with it, the idea is that the owner or president of a company puts on a disguise and then travels the country working in various menial jobs throughout their company in order to get a better idea of the working conditions, employee morale or ways to improve company performance.

During the final section of the program, the leader spends a few minutes revealing him/herself to each of the people they worked with during the undercover assignments. Although several times I have seen employees chastised, or in one case fired, most of the time, the executive rewards employee performance after being exposed to life in the trenches for a week.

In almost every program I have watched, it is apparent that the participants are changed by the experience and most episodes are rather emotional for all the parties involved. There have been scholarships awarded, company programs started, new ideas for enhancing the lives of the employees and an overall appreciation on the part of the rank and file people for the executive who went undercover.

Typically, it’s kind of a feel good program. As I said, the plot isn’t real deep and I always wonder why the employees don’t figure it out that the boss is working with them. Since the program never really changes, anyone who has seen it would recognize the logical sequence of steps leading to the final moments one on one with the boss. Having said that, I would think that people who have seen the program would be extra sure to be on their best behavior when a similar situation arose in their own life. Yet they don’t seem to get it…

Of course, by now you must have figured out that you and I are the unsuspecting participants in a similar undercover program. Because our boss, God, has never been seen in the flesh by us, much the same as is the case with the CEO on the program. And while we work day to day in our positions, the God of the universe is watching us, and probably working right next to us, assessing our performance and getting ready to grade us in several very important areas. And, as much as I hate to say it, we have the knowledge of what God wants for us and you would think that we would be wiser than we appear to be – kind of like the employees on the program who should be figuring out what’s going on – but don’t.

For example, how are we treating our fellow man? And are we touting the company line or are we disgruntled and complaining about our situation? Are we trying to improve things or are we just going through the motions day to day? And most importantly, are we attempting to recruit others into the program or are we encouraging people to run the other way? Our behavior speaks volumes about what we believe and how we approach our jobs as people in God’s organization.

So, some of the things that I have learned from the show are that I should always be on my guard to realize that God is probably watching my every step, even if I don’t see Him in the seat next to me. And I know what is expected of me and my dedication to the job I have. Whether I am serving a client, or an earthly boss, or God Himself, I know what’s right and what’s wrong – and if I am a person of character, I should act the same way when the boss is away that I do when he or she is standing in front me.

The thing that most of us forget as humans is that God has already told us that He is watching us. The verse for this evening confirms this. From Matthew 25:40, we are told, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Our instructions are pretty clear – we are to take care of one another, especially those who have less than we do. And God is watching our every move. Yet, time after time, we tend to forget or dismiss the fact that we are not alone.

My encouragement this evening is to affirm that God wants us to succeed and to love one another well – in fact, to love one another the way that He has loved us. My prayer is that you will remember that God desires for us to do the best we can with our fellow man. Furthermore, that God wants us to honor Him; and it’s probably helpful to realize that He’s the ultimate Undercover Boss. Grace and peace….

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