Contentment At Work Series

So, we find our contentment in viewing our work as service to God; and we find godliness in how we work: we treat our bosses with respect, regardless of whether they are Christian or not, so we can maintain a good testimony and have a chance to share a gospel witness.

But what about those slaves in Paul’s day who had believing masters? Such a worker might well feel, "Christ has made us one, and, since we're brothers, my master should no longer treat me as a slave but as his brother. That means I have a right to special favors, a special position in the household" Some of these slaves in Ephesus were doing that. But Paul says here in verse 2: Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. So the second thing we see is this:

• Christian Bosses Deserve Extra Respect!

Paul says any boss you have, you are to give respect. But for Christian bosses, show them even MORE respect, shown by working even harder for them than you would for a non-Christian boss. The typical temptation is to think, Oh, they’re a brother in Christ, so they won’t care if I take it a little easier. They would WANT me to take it easy! But that is FAR from the truth. Instead, God says, if you have a Christian boss, you whould work EVEN HARDER for them! I know some Christian employers who are hesitant to hire Christians because often Christians are the poorest workers.

Remember back in Jesus time the Roman soldiers could force anyone to carry their pack for up to a mile. There were limits -- they couldn’t force them to be their slave, but they could force one mile of service. But Jesus said in Matthew - If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. In other words, the first mile is required; go beyond what is required and go the extra mile. That’s where the phrase comes from - to go the extra mile -- it is a phrase that is to be a characteristic of Christians.

And especially in the work environment: if you have a Christian boss, don’t just love them as a brother in Christ, but work for them as a brother in Christ. Paul stresses the idea that we should care about their business and want to do our best so they get the best return from our labor.

The temptation is for us to be detached from our bosses, from our labor, and when quitting time comes just drop whatever we are doing and leave. But as a Christian, we should care about our employers and seek to bless and serve them, because we are working as service to our God. We should want their business to prosper.

I remember one man in my last church -- Ron Smithson -- he ran a roofing business. And during the winter months when jobs were tight, Ron always faced great turmoil because he felt a heavy burden to provide work for his men. They were not just employees, but they were friends whom he cared about.

Have you been just putting in the time at work? Have you been neglectful? Make a commitment to godliness and contentment. View you work as service to God, and do your best to be the best worker your company has. This is how we honor God. This is something we continually need to remind ourselves of.

Next week, we’re going to look at how we can be both godly and content in the area of our finances.

Let’s pray.