A Christian’s Code Of Work

MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

(Powerpoints used with this message are available for free. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #393.)

SCRIPTURES: Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 6:5-7; Colossians 3:17; Daniel 4:34-37, 6:3-28 (Most longer scripture passages are NIrV unless indicated otherwise.)

INTRO. Since tomorrow is Labor Day we’re going to consider what God expects of us when we are at work. And to point out that what we do 40+ hours every week, whether at home, in the school room, or on the job, matters to God.

I decided to begin with what the apostle Paul wrote from a prison cell to the church in Philippi. (Philippians 1:27 CEV) “Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together & that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.”

Look again at that first sentence: “Above all things, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ.”

If Paul were here today he might say it this way: “Above all else, your example must be better than what usually is seen. You must go to great lengths to work together so that people will be amazed by how you live & they will believe the good news & turn to God.”

Do you really feel that way? It is important that you do, because when you feel that your work matters to God you will have a sense of pride & purpose about your work, no matter what that work may be. You will have an inner motivation to do well.

On the other hand; if you feel that your work does not matter to God, that He is not concerned with what you do - you’ll find it much easier to make moral compromises. "Hey, it really doesn’t matter if I lie, come in late, work hard or not. It’s only a job, & they should be paying me more anyway."

At that point I went to the funeral of Jack Perdue, Misty Pollett’s father. As I looked around I saw a lot of cowboy hats, & that led me to remember another memorial service at which I saw more cowboy hats at one time in a church building than I had ever seen before.

That caused me, as Elmer Rader often says, to go down a rabbit trail & think about some of the old Zane Grey books I’ve read & some of the cowboy movies I have seen.

In some of the best of them the main character seems to be following a code so much better than many of the other characters in the story. So I looked on the internet to see if there is such a thing as a Cowboy Code. Here is what I found.

(Show Powerpoint picture of Cowboys)

ILL. “Before the American West was settled & barbed wire was introduced a “Code of the West” was the one civilizing influence that could be relied upon. In his 2004 book, Cowboy Ethics – What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West, Jim Owen made a heartfelt case for a new approach to business ethics - one that goes back to simple, timeless principles like those of the cowboy code. He also translated the unwritten Code of the West into Ten Principles to Live By.

Code of the West

1) Live each day with courage. 6) When you make a promise, keep it.

2) Take pride in your work. 7) Ride for the brand.

3) Always finish what you start. 8) Talk less and say more.

4) Do what has to be done. 9) Remember - some things aren't for sale.

5) Be tough, but fair. 10) Know where to draw the line.

To which I would add #11, in the old movies at least, the good cowboy always takes off his hat in the church building, as if to recognize that there is a higher authority, an ultimate boss before whom we all will stand.

The article went on: “It turned out that Jim’s message struck a deep chord with people from all walks of life. Cowboy Ethics has become part of our national conversation, as people across the country rediscover the cowboy code & make it their own.

“But why Cowboys? Well, Cowboys represent the best of America - courage, optimism & plain hard work. Cowboys are heroic, not just because they do a dangerous job, but also because they stand for something - the simple, basic values that lie at the heart of the cowboy way.

“Even though their way of life has changed over the last 150 years, cowboys still honor & live by their code. They are an abiding source of inspiration to do better, & be better, than we are.”