Verse of the day: Ephesians 6:5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to
Christ;
The Apostle Paul, after
addressing the relationship between husband and wife, and parent and child, in
the area of submission, now deals with the relationship between master and
servant. Today, we can apply this principle to our employer/employee
relationships. I have said this before, but too many Christians today, in their
attitude and lack of work ethic, have done more to bring shame to their
testimony by their lack of integrity in getting things done properly in the
workplace. The key to our ability to submit to our employers or those who have
authority over us in our places of employment begins with our relationship with
the Lord. The Apostle urges servants to be obedient to their masters, with
reverence, careful not to offend, and with sincerity, as to Christ; meaning that
our attitude should be that we do what we do because of our worship and
reverence to the Lord. We are to work for our employers as if we are doing it
for the Lord, because we are. Colossians 3:23-24 tells us that we are to do all
that we do as unto the Lord because it is from Chris that we receive our
reward; and it is Christ that we serve. In essence, when we submit to anyone
who is in authority over us, we submit to the Lord. There is a common thread in
this principle of submission in all three of the relationships that the Apostle
discusses in this epistle. The common thread is that those that have God-given
authority are not to abuse that authority or command those that are called to
submit to do anything that is morally wrong before the Lord. A husband must not
force his wife to do that which is contrary to God’s Word. A father must not
wrongfully discipline his child or force him/her to do that which is immoral or
contrary to God’s Word, and the master (employer) is not to command the servant
(employee) to do that which violates God’s Word or that which is prohibited by
law. In this chapter, verse 9, the Apostle warns masters/employers, that the
same God who is the God of the servant/employee, is the same God of the master.
God is not partial to either, and will judge them equally. Therefore, the
master/employer also has a moral responsibility to do what is right in respect
to his relationship to the servant/employee. While the servant/employee is
commanded to do what he/she does for their master/employer, he/she is to do it
to please God and not man (v. 6-7). We must remember, that whether we are
gathered socially, or at work, as born again believers, we represent Jesus. Our
workplace is also our mission field, and our attitude and work ethic can make
or break whether or not we will have an opportunity to share Christ with our
coworker(s), or even our employer(s). We are to be faithful in carrying out our
duties for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel. We are to be
diligent to put our whole energy into doing our jobs so that our reputation is
one that honors God. We are to be patient and avoid temper tantrums over duties
that we knew we would have to carry out when we accepted our position, and do
all things without murmuring. Philippians 2:14-15 instructs us to do all things
without complaining in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, that our
light in Christ would shine brightly in this dark world. We are to be one of
the most cheerful people in our workplace as we carry out the duties we promised
to fulfill when we accepted the position we were given by our employer(s). We
do this knowing that all that we do will not be done in vain, because it is our
Lord who will ultimately reward us for our labor (1 Cor 15:58).
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