Devotional Thoughts for Today

“No Slackers Please”

Ephesians 6:5-8

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”

My wife used to work for a major pediatric hospital that saw over a million patients last year.  To run such a gigantic organization, this hospital employs more than 10,000 people in all their branches and associated network offices.  Of course, with over 10,000 employees, there are bound to be a few slackers here and there, which is why, according to my wife, the employee handbook specifically states that employees are not allowed to use more than 10 percent of their working hours surfing the Internet.  To put it another way, as an employee of this hospital you are allowed to use up to 10 percent of your time to goof off and check your fantasy football, or go shopping, or explore whatever the www has for you.  Now, let’s be honest: Most, if not all of us have used company time to browse the Internet; so let’s not pretend that we always work like the fabled ant (Prov. 6:6-8).  I just find it both funny and kind of sad that a major organization would admit defeat and formalize a policy that limits their losses.

I know the slave-master relationships does not perfectly parallel the employee-boss relationship (though sometimes it feels that way).  I also know that it’s Saturday and the last thing you want to be thinking about is work (unless of course you must work today), but there are some principles we can glean from today’s passage when it comes to work ethic.  When it comes to our jobs, or really anything in life—like serving in church or volunteering—do we work/serve as if we are serving Christ himself?  Can we be trusted that when the boss’ back is turned, we will do our jobs faithfully as if he is standing right behind us?  Might I go as far as to ask if we do our jobs with a certain amount of joy, because we believe we are ultimately serving our Lord Jesus.  Hopefully that is the case, though getting joy might be a goal that we are working toward in the distant future.  For now, how about this: Today, God is going to give you an opportunity to serve either your company or a person.  So make it a goal to do that well.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to approach this day with the understanding that in all things, whether I eat or drink or work, I can do it in a manner that glorifies you (1 Cor. 10:31).  Thank you for my job.  Thank you for people whom I can serve.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 30-31