Dad was skeptical of his teenage son's newfound determination to build bulging muscles. Even so, he followed his son to the store's weight-lifting department, where they admired a set of weights.
“Please, Dad,” pleaded the boy, “I promise I'll use 'em every day.”
“I don't know, Michael. It's really a commitment on your part,” the father said.
“Please, Dad?”
“They're not cheap either,” the father said.
“I'll use 'em, Dad, I promise. You'll see.”
Finally convinced, the father paid for the equipment and headed for the door, but after a few steps, he heard his son behind him say, “What! You mean I have to carry them to the car?” (“Pastor Tim's Clean Laugh List,” Mark Moring, managing editor of Campus Life)
It seems that from a very young age, many people develop a strong aversion to work. We’ve come to think of it as a dirty 4-letter word, but God made us to work. Genesis 2 says, “God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to WORK it.”
Work was a part of God’s original plan. It was a crucial part of His original paradise, but sin entered the picture and turned our work into labor. Now, work has become drudgery for so many, when God intended it to be a delightful part of our every-day lives.
The question is: How can we get back to God’s original design? How can we learn to enjoy work again? How can we take pleasure in it as a meaningful, delightful part of what we do 5 or 6 days out of seven? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Ephesians 6, Ephesians 6, where the Bible tells us how we can recapture the joy at our jobs.
Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ. (ESV)
Now, when you and I see the word, “slave,” we usually think about the raced-based oppression of African slaves during the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries in our own country. But that was not the case at all in Bible days.
Murray Harris, in his book Slave of Christ, describes what slavery was like in the 1st century Greco-Roman world. Number one, he says, in that time slaves were not distinguishable from anyone else by race, speech, or clothing. They looked and lived like everyone else and were never segregated off from the rest of society in any way. Number two, slaves were more educated than their owners in many cases and many times held high managerial positions (cf. Joseph managing Potiphar’s household). Number three, from a financial standpoint, slaves made the same wages as free laborers and therefore were not themselves usually poor. In fact, they often accrued enough personal capital to buy themselves out. And number four, very few persons were slaves for life in the first century. Most expected to be set free after about ten years or by their late thirties at the latest. (Murray Harris, Slave of Christ, IVP, 2001; www.PreachingToday.com)
So you see, slaves in Bible days were a lot like the common laborer today. And what God says to them can apply to any of us, employee or employer alike, who work for a living. So what does God say to us workers? It’s very simple.
LISTEN TO THE BOSS.
Obey the boss.
Just do what the boss tells you to do, and do it respectfully. Obey “with fear and trembling” verse 5 says. It’s a phrase that speaks of the highest respect, not so much because we’re afraid our bosses will hurt us, but more so because we hold them in such high regard.
After Titus returned from a visit to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul commented in a letter to this church, “His affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling” (2 Corinthians 7:15).
It’s the same phrase we have here in Ephesians 6. Titus, the apostolic representative, loved the Corinthian believers, and they treated him with the highest respect. It was not a fear-hate relationship. It was a love-respect relationship, and that’s the kind of relationship God wants us to have on the job.
A man was having dinner with his parents at a high-class restaurant in London. The food was superb, and the setting—complete with chandeliers, crystal and silver—was unbelievably elegant. Nonetheless, when his mother's main course arrived, she felt the need for a little salt. Trying the three silver shakers that were on the table, she discovered each contained pepper. She called the waiter over only to be told that she must be mistaken. Each table always contained two dispensers of pepper and one of salt.
A second attempt, however, showed that their table did, in fact, have three peppershakers. Horrified, the waiter immediately brought her a saltshaker. When it was time for dessert, the maitre d’ appeared, insisting that because of the oversight they choose something “on the house.”
The woman protested, “It's not that important.”
“But, Madame,” he replied in all seriousness, “what if you had been the Queen?” (www.sermonnotes.com)
I like the attitude of that maitre d’. You see, when we treat those we serve as kings and queens, then we do our work with excellence, and we feel a whole lot better about it. If we want to find joy on the job, then we must do our work respectfully.
2nd, we must do it sincerely. We must do out work from the heart without any duplicity. Verse 5 says, “Obey your earthly masters…with a sincere heart.” Literally, obey with a simplicity or singleness of heart.
We must do our work without any ulterior motives. We must do our work only with the desire to do our best, not to make ourselves look good so we can get a promotion, but simply to do a good job out of the sheer joy of doing it well.
Ephesians 6:6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. (ESV)
Or more literally, “out of the soul.” Obey your boss, not just when he’s watching you. Rather, obey him from your inner being, whether he’s watching you or not. Bring your heart and soul to work, and do it well, just because that’s who you are at the core, even when nobody is watching.
Tim J. McGuire, former editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, was speaking at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in a seminar called, “Faith, Religion, and Values.”
This is what he had to say: “Work is brutal. Work is a four-letter word. Most people don't think that work could possibly have anything to do with spirituality… They assume that these two worlds cannot mesh. But if we bring our souls to work, then we can transform our work. [And] that is when our work can begin to transform us. The problem for most people is that their work transforms them into something bad, something bitter and tired and broken.” (Terry Mattingly's Washington Bureau religion column, Spirituality in the Workplace? 11-20-02; Preaching Today, 12-04-2002)
That’s because they don’t bring their souls to work. They bring an ulterior motive. They bring a desire to get ahead or make more money, but they don’t bring a simple desire just to do their best.
Reggie McNeal, in his book, The Present Future, tells of a time he was sitting on a bench on a beach boardwalk late one afternoon, resting after an hour walk. He had passed a woman in a green uniform pushing a broom several times. She came toward his bench doing her meticulous sweeping of the sidewalk. Suddenly she stopped, wiped her forehead, and rested on her broom. McNeal called out to her: “You do a great job,” he said.
She replied, “Thank you,” then added something that explained why the sidewalk behind her was spotless. “I just believe people want to walk on a clean sidewalk.”
McNeal writes, “I was humbled to be in the presence of a worker who viewed her task with such significance. Whatever the park service was paying her, there's no way they could have demanded the excellence she brought to her work. That kind of motivation comes from within.” (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future, Jossey-Bass, 2003, p. 98)
Where does your motivation come from to do a good job? If you’re doing it for the money, then you’ll never do as good a job as when you do it from your heart. If we want to find joy on the job, then 1st of all, we must do our work respectfully. 2nd, we must do our work sincerely.
And 3rd, we must do it enthusiastically. We must do our work eagerly. Verse 7 says, “rendering service with a good will.” Literally, serving with a good mind. In some contexts, the word is translated “enthusiastically.” Our work should reflect an internal passion that drives us to do our best.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was speaking to students at the Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967, six months before he was assassinated. Then, he told the students, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.” (as reported by Bill White, Paramount, California, www.PreachingToday.com)
If we want to find joy on the job, then we must do it with respect; we must do it with sincerity; and we must do it with enthusiasm.
But that’s only possible when we do it as for the Lord. We must obey our bosses as if we were obeying Christ. We must do our jobs as if we were doing it for Jesus.
Verse 5 says, “Obey… as you would Christ.” Verse 6 says, “Obey…as servants of Christ, doing the will of God.” Verse 7 says, “Rendering service, as to the Lord and not to man.” Therein lays the secret to respectful, sincere, enthusiastic work! It comes when we realize that we are working for Christ, not our boss.
Howard Hendricks, one of my professors at Dallas Theological Seminary, once sat on a plane that was delayed for take off. After a long wait, the passengers became more and more irritated. Hendricks noticed how gracious one of the flight attendants was as she spoke with them. After the plane finally took off, he told the flight attendant how amazed he was at her poise and self-control, and said he wanted to write a letter of commendation for her to the airline.
The stewardess replied that she didn't work for the airline company, but for Jesus Christ. She said that just before going to work she and her husband prayed together that she would be a good representative of Christ. (Lorne Sanny, “The Right Way to Respond to Authority,” Discipleship Journal, March/April 1982)
Doing it for Christ’s sake adds another dimension to our work. We are submitting not just to an employer (or a husband or a parent), but to the Lord! If this is an area of struggle for you, don’t see yourself submitting to a man; see yourself submitting to Christ! It will make all the difference in the world for you.
You see, when we see ourselves working not so much for the boss, but for Christ, then our work takes on a whole lot more meaning, even when that boss is yourself. Sometimes, we can be our own worst boss, but when we work for Christ, then our work becomes eternally significant, because it advances His purposes.
Three men were working on a large building project when a curious pedestrian asked them all what they were doing. The first man said, “I’m mixing mortar.” The second man said, “I’m helping to put up this great stone wall.” And the third man said, “I’m building a cathedral to the glory of God.”
Who do you think enjoyed his work the most? The latter. You see, those three could just as well have been working on a car, a house, or any other legitimate work. It doesn’t matter. All of our work is for God’s glory, and when we see that, then our work takes on real significance and we are blessed.
And besides, God pays more than any earthly boss! Look at verse 8: Do all this…
Ephesians 6:8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. (ESV)
God writes the ultimate paycheck, and His paychecks are better than any earthly boss can provide. If you want to find joy on the job, then do it as for the Lord. Then, and only then, will you do it respectfully, sincerely, and enthusiastically.
But what if you’re the boss at work. What if you’re the employer, not the employee? Well, the same principles apply. Look at verse 9. “
Ephesians 6:9 Masters, do the same to them.”
If you’re the boss, then you too must
LISTEN TO YOUR BOSS, THE LORD.
And treat your employees respectfully, sincerely, & with good-will. Every employee deserves to know how much you value them. At least that’s what Tim Sanders, former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo!, says. As a leadership coach, he often urges managers and supervisors to let their subordinates know how much they appreciate them. In leadership conferences, he often tells the story of a young manager named Steve, who was challenged by one of Sanders's radio interviews.
Steve resolved to visit each of his employees, all six of whom he had not seen face to face in over six months even though they worked in the same building and on the same floor. Steve wanted to tell each of them how much he appreciated them, and name one thing they did excellently.
After the visit from Steve, one of his software engineers, Lenny, presented him with an Xbox gaming console. Steve was taken aback, as he knew Lenny had taken pay cuts over the last year. But he was more surprised to learn that the money had come from the sale of a nine-millimeter pistol—a pistol Lenny had bought months earlier with the intention of killing himself. Lenny told him of his mother's death the previous year, and of his ensuing loneliness and depression:
“I started a routine every night after work,” Lenny wrote, “eating a bowl of Ramen, listening to Nirvana, and getting the gun out. It took almost a month to get the courage to put the bullets in the gun. It took another couple of months to get used to the feeling of the barrel of the gun on the top of my teeth. For the last few weeks, I was putting ever so slight pressure on the trigger, and I was getting so close, Steve—so close.
“Last week,” Lenny wrote to Steve, his employer, “you freaked me out. You came into my cubicle, put your arm around me, and told me you appreciated me because I turn in all my projects early, and that helps you sleep at night. You also said that I have a great sense of humor over e-mail and that you are glad I came into your life.
“That night I went home, ate Ramen, and listened to Nirvana—and when I got the gun out, it scared me silly for the first time. All I could think about was what you said—that you were glad I came into your life.
“The next day I went back to the pawnshop and sold the gun. I remembered that you had said you wanted the Xbox more than anything, but with a new baby at home could not afford it. So, for my life, you get this game. Thanks, boss.”
Sanders writes, “Sometimes people just need people. They need encouragement. You have no idea how lonely and sad some people might be. Love them everywhere—not just at home, but at work, or wherever you find them.” (From an e-mail newsletter by Tim Sanders; submitted by Rich Tatum, Romeoville, Illinois)
If you have people working under you, they need to know how much you value them. Treat them with respect, sincerity, and good-will.
Don’t threaten them. Don’t treat your employees harshly.
Ephesians 6:9 “…Stop your threatening.”
Literally, forsake or abandon the threats. Threats never motivate people over the long-haul. They only de-motivate and demoralize
A certain CEO was scheduled to speak at an important convention, so he asked one of his employees, Jenkins, to write him a punchy, 20-minute speech.
When the CEO returned from giving the speech at the big event, he was furious. He tore into Jenkins: “What's the idea of writing me a speech that lasted an hour? Half the audience walked out before I finished.”
Jenkins was baffled. “I wrote you a 20-minute speech,” he replied. “I also gave you the two extra copies you asked for.” (Cleanlaugh List, at cybersalt.org; submitted by Mark Moring)
That boss blamed an employee for his own mistake. Sad to say, that happens much too often.
Some time ago, Jim Collins and his research team studied over two dozen good companies that made the leap from “good” to “great” companies. He reported their findings in his new book, From Good to Great, which included a finding that surprised them. Jim Collins and his research team discovered that the CEO’s of great companies are at heart humble people. It’s not what they expected, but what they found was that when things are going well in a “great” company, the CEO of that company looks out the window of his or her office and gives credit to the employees. On the other hand, when things are going poorly, they look in the mirror and ask themselves, “What did I do wrong?” Or “What can I do differently to fix the problem.”
Maybe they didn’t communicate clearly. Maybe they hired the wrong person for the job. Maybe they need to rework the structure of the organization. Whatever the problem, the CEO’s of great companies don’t place blame on their employees. They take responsibility and do something about it. If you want to create a great work environment, then “go thou and do likewise.” Treat your employees respectfully. Don’t threaten them.
And remember the lord, your boss, will pay you accordingly.
Ephesians 6:9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (ESV)
You see, you have a Boss in heaven, and He is very fair when it comes to handing out the pay. So if you want to find joy on the job, then we must do your work respectfully, sincerely, and enthusiastically, as unto the Lord. Don’t work for your boss or yourself; work for the Lord! Let me say it again. Don’t work for your boss or yourself, work for the Lord! Then your work will take on eternal significance, and the pay? Well, let’s just say, “The pay will be out of this world!”
Gordon Dahl put it well when he said, “Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play, and to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their life-styles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.”
My dear friends, as we leave this place, let’s make sure our worship of Christ continues even in our places of work. Don’t worship your work. Instead, worship Christ in your work, and so find purpose in life and peace in your relationships.
