Day 26: Being Faithful in the Workplace

We are looking at a problem that confronts those who are employees: 'How to find acceptance in a work situation.'

First, we need to establish certain standards of conduct for employees which the New Testament clearly lays down. The words from Ephesians 6:5-7 are addressed to slaves (or we would say today in modern society, servants or employees; although of course, some of the conditions of slaves were much more stringent than those of modern employees). This is what the New Testament says to employees, to servants, to slaves:

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men..." (NIV)

We are required to show certain things in our conduct towards our employer, our master. We are required to show respect and sincerity and wholehearted service. The principle behind this is that, in that given situation, our employer, our master, is God's representative to us in our situation. We have to see in him/her the one whom God has for that particular situation, in that particular time placed over us, and our attitude and response to that employer is, in fact, a mirror of our true attitude and response to God Himself. If we show no respect for our employer, if we seek to cheat, if we seek to serve short hours and give shoddy service, that's really our attitude towards God. We might not dare to show it openly towards God, but the attitude that we show to our employer is an indication of our heart attitude towards God. Once we realise this, it is going to make us the kind of employees that employers will be happy to have around.

The next thing is the importance of faithfulness or trustworthiness. Proverbs 20:6 says:

"Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?" (NASB)

That was true about 3,000 years ago. I would say it is even more true today. I am an employer myself. Many of my friends are businessmen. I move in those circles many times, and I would say the question today really is: "who can find a trustworthy man?" There are not many of them anywhere. The whole trend of modern society is towards indiscipline and irresponsibility, and it is becoming harder and harder to find employees who are truly trustworthy. My conviction is that any employee in any situation, who truly proves himself/herself trustworthy, is going to be valued and is going to be approved by his/her employer in due course. It may take him/her time to prove himself/herself, but when he/she does so, he/she will be valued.