TODAY’S READING: Ephesians 6:5-9
KEY VERSE:
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” EPH 6:7
Like many songs, I can sing the first line of the chorus of ‘Working 9-5’ but I don’t think I have ever watched the movie (PTL). As church elders, we don’t have an off switch to our day but we do have a healthy work practice of dividing our days into sections and ensuring that we have space in the day for our families, our hobbies, and personal time with God! Jonathan ensures that the team have Mondays off and take their holidays so that we keep mentally well, spiritually on fire and physically healthy. It also helps to keep our marriages healthy, and means that we get time to relax with our families. That was, until lock down! (ha ha!)
In this passage, it looks at the relationships between slaves and masters. Hopefully you don’t feel like a slave to your job and that you are working in your zone in whatever you do, but are you are working as if your boss was Jesus? If you are the line manager or CEO of a company, are you treating your team and employees like Jesus would? How would your boss or employees react to the fact that you were a Christ follower?
In life we often segregate our work life and our spiritual life like they are two different worlds but God is in everything we do. God is as interested in you at work as he is when you are at home or in the church Zoom sessions! Working 9 to 5 with Jesus is a great slogan… what a way to make a livin’!
How do you bring God with you to work?
- We often use the phrase, ‘play to an audience of one’ but we can also work to an audience of one. Today, imagine that God is the boss and work to do all you can to please Him.
- Work hard and with excellence in all you do.
- When witnessing, be tactful and invitational but don’t use company time to ambush someone at the photocopier or water machine! Why not think creatively of how you can involve them in your life off the clock - invite them to the church quiz night, a catch-up online or, post lockdown, a social distancing event to mark freedom!
- Pray for opportunities to serve wholeheartedly and with excellence, to witness in our attitudes and to share the good news of JESUS.
In these challenging days, many people are working from home and, as a result, never really leave the ‘office’. They tend to work longer during the day and then go back to finish work off in the evening. We are the worst boss of our time and work/life balance ever!! Pray that we have a good work/life balance.
For others this is an uncertain time for work as we don’t really know what it will look like for our jobs next month or even next year as we see an economic depression on the horizon. Pray for job security.
ACTION STEPS
• Read the Chapter 6: 5-9 (not 9 to 5!).
• Reflect how to build a healthy work/life balance.
• Pray for those facing uncertain futures in regard to work.