“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Ephesians 6:5-7 NLT)
There are at least three critical points in the above verses that we need to “get” if we’re going to be effective for our Savior in and through the work we do, whether we’re “self-employed” or work for someone else.
First, because we are, before all else, Christ’s slaves, we approach our work, regardless of how menial we may think it is, with “deep respect and fear.” The King James Version of the Bible translates these words as “fear and trembling,” and they convey the idea of “the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil his duty.” (Strong’s)
The minute we approach something with the attitude “I’ve got this,” we’ve displaced Christ’s authority with our own and put ourselves on a pedestal in the Lord’s place. To the extent we understand that “apart from the Lord Jesus we are nothing,” to that extent we’ll be prepared to tackle any assignment the Lord gives us with the right attitude.
One other consideration that is critical: regardless of where or what kind of job/work you do, you’re not there because of your own doing. Even if you “own” the business or “built this company from scratch,” if you’re a child of God, the gifts and abilities you used to do what you did were a gift from God and must be treated as such. We are nothing and can do nothing without dependence upon the Lord.
Second, we serve as unto Christ with the goal of pleasing Him as we please those with authority over us. God has equipped us to do the job He’s given us, otherwise, we wouldn’t have the job. If you feel ill-prepared or inadequate, good, that just means you’ll need to lean more fully on the Lord. The other aspect of this is, our primary aim is to do the best job we can possibly do, not for personal gain or recognition, but to point all honor to Jesus.
Third, since doing the will of God is our highest priority, we work with the same enthusiasm as we would if He were our literal “boss.” We accomplish every assignment with the ultimate goal of putting a smile on our Savior’s face. Regardless of what anyone else thinks, our end purpose is to please the Lord.
With these priorities the fruit of our labor, ideally, will be to find security and pleasure in our work, with the very important by-product being, a healthy relationship with our superiors and co-workers. In nearly every company there will be “slackers” who will want you to not work as efficiently because it makes them look bad, but your positive work ethic and attitude are the very things that will give credence to your witness for Christ.
When someone criticizes you for working too hard, for wanting to “show off” or get “brownie points” with the boss, you simply respond something like: “I’m sorry you feel that way, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to please Jesus, He’s my ‘real’ Boss.” They’ll look at you like you’re weird, but you’ll lay the groundwork as being God’s child with the underlying “truth” that God’s children are different, hopefully and ideally, in good and positive ways.
Our primary “witness” for Christ at work isn’t running our mouth with our co-workers about Jesus when we should be working, it’s establishing a positive work ethic that lays the groundwork for conversations during breaks, lunch, or after work opportunities on OUR time, not the company’s.
One final thought. If the environment in which you find yourself forces you to do unethical or illegal things to keep your job, please quit. The Lord will provide for you.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 