~Ephesians 6:5-8 Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether [he be] bond or free.

How many times have I heard people complaining about their supervisors and/or the company for which they work!?? So much energy is wasted complaining! The time spent complaining could well be used to do the job for which the employee was hired to do.

As Christians, we are to be “a cut above the rest” of the employees. We should be setting examples; we should be doing our jobs to the best of our ability. Others should view the Christian as an exemplary employee. The Apostles, Paul and Peter, clearly outlined the employee’s position (here known as a servant). There’s no doubt in my mind that I must give honor to my employer. I owe my employer a debt of gratitude as he is responsible for bills being paid and mouths being fed, amen?

~Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things [your] masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:

If all Christians would do their jobs as though they were working for the Lord, wow, what a testimony to God! Can you imagine the impact we would have on the job? Anyone can pay “lip service” to their supervisor but it takes character to do a job as if you were working for the Lord, Himself!

~1 Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and [his] doctrine be not blasphemed.

Christians who cheat their boss blaspheme the name of God. What person would want to hear about the Gospel of Christ from someone who is lazy at work or who steals office supplies? We are being paid to do a specific job. Do we do it to our utmost or do we do just enough to get by? Our boss is worthy of all honor, according to the above text. In fact, so much so that the Apostle Paul takes it a step further: that the name of God and His doctrine not be blasphemed!

~Titus 2:9-10 [Exhort] servants to be obedient unto their own masters, [and] to please [them] well in all [things]; not answering again; 10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

Our goal as Christian employees should be to please our boss in all the tasks that he/she has charged to us.  Our testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ is dependent on our behavior at work. Do we smear His name or do we promote it by our actions? This is what Paul means when he said that we “may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”

~1 Peter 2:18-20 Servants, [be] subject to [your] masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory [is it], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God.

Not everyone works for a nice supervisor. Some have downright nasty personalities. However, the boss’ personality should have nothing to do with our behavior at work. If we suffer wrongfully at work because of our boss, we are exhorted to “take it” patiently as this is acceptable with God. However, if we suffer because we did something wrong, we should take it graciously as it is due to our wrong doing.

I experienced a good example of this. I invited several people at work to come to a revival we were having at our church. My boss found out about my invitations and called me into her office. She said she did not want me doing “church” stuff during work and that I was offending other people’s religious beliefs by doing so. At first, I thought I was being persecuted for the Lord’s sake. But later, the Lord showed me that my employer was paying me to do eight hours of work and I was stealing from my employer by doing something other than my job during those eight hours. I wasn’t being persecuted at all but was being chastised by the Lord for disobeying and rightfully so!

Our testimony should be the most important thing for the Christian who has a job. We should not participate in office gossip – we should doing our jobs with a smile and with all diligence. No matter what the circumstances, if we all do our job as though we are working for Jesus Christ, Himself, we would have outstanding testimonies!