Good Work Experiences
6:5–8. Slaves carry the same principle of submission to authority as we see with wives and children. They serve the Lord by serving their master. They were not to serve their masters for the external reason of pleasing others but because they wanted to please Christ. Paul reminded slaves that their service to Christ would be rewarded by God just as will be all members of God’s kingdom. Slaves on earth, they are equal members of the heavenly kingdom.
God rewards those who work well.
HOW CAN WE WORK WELL? What helps us work with effectiveness, and ensures we are doing our best work?
3 Mindsets every worker needs:
We are Working For Jesus. 5
Masters often complained that slaves were lazy, especially when no one was looking. Paul encourages hard work but gives slaves a new hope and a new motive for their labor.
Paul says that slaves, like wives, should submit to the head of the household as if to Christ, but this duty is again reciprocal. Only a few writers in the ancient world suggested that slaves were in theory their masters’ spiritual equals (cf. Job 31:13–15), and so far as we know only Paul goes so far as to suggest that in practice masters do the same for slaves as slaves should do for them (6:9).
We Are Doing God’s Will. 6
On Being a Good Employee
1. Be loyal. Bosses will forgive carelessness, stupidity, tardiness and the occasional temper tantrum. These can be corrected, but disloyalty is a true character flaw. You cannot—and will not—be trusted.
2. Keep the boss informed. The boss should be informed about what you are doing, where you are, whom you are talking to and why. If you must err, err on the side of overkill. Bombard the boss with bulletins, memos, and FYI’s until he or she says, “Stop.” No one had ever lost a job because they told the boss too much.
3. Embrace change, even if you do not understand it. Any boss must, as part of his or her job, instigate change. It is not your job to resist.
4. Respect the boss’s time. If you need thirty minutes with him, don’t take sixty. Better yet, take twenty.
5. Don’t tread on his turf. At least, don’t do it without permission.
6. Follow up quickly. Bosses don’t pull out a stopwatch when they give a command. But their internal clock is ticking.
We are Having a Healthy Attitude. 7
In order that people may be happy in their work, three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it.
John Ruskin (1819–1900)
God rewards those who work well.
Work is man’s great function. He is nothing, he can do nothing, he can achieve nothing, fulfill nothing, without working. If you are poor—work. If you are rich—continue working. If you are burdened with unseemingly unfair responsibilities—work. If you are happy, keep right on working. Idleness gives room for doubt and fears. If disappointments come—work. If your health is threatened—work. When faith falters—work. When dreams are shattered and hope seems dead—work. Work as if your life were in peril. It really is. No matter what ails you—work. Work faithfully—work with faith. Work is the greatest remedy available for mental and physical afflictions.