Employees are not for Employers

Is it five o’clock yet?

How many of us have found ourselves muttering that question during our workday? The clock ticks on, bringing with it another fresh wave of problems to solve. We spend 8 hours a day away from our homes and families and find ourselves asking, “Why?”

Titus 2:9-10 reads,

Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they  may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

Okay, so “slaves” is too strong a word for our context today. I am not held against my will and I am properly compensated for my work. But the general idea of “slaves” here is “worker.”

What are we as workers supposed to be?

1. Submissive to their master in everything. Could this verse have started with a more difficult command? Really? Submissive in everything??? No, not when your employer asks you to go against the commands of God, but yes, in everything. Your boss is an authority figure and as such must be obeyed. Even when we don’t feel like it. Even when the request seems nonsensical. Even when we think we know better. We are to show submission.

2. Well-pleasing. We will read in a minute that our ultimate goal is not to please our bosses, but it is listed here as one of our commands along the way. Now don’t take this to mean you need to be the office “kiss up” and absolutely swoon over every idea your boss thinks, whether good or bad. But it does mean that we are to make an effort in our labor. We want our work, whether that be a plated meal as a cook, addressed envelopes as a receptionist, or drywall hung as a carpenter, to be the best we could do. Our employers should be pleased by the work we produce. The verse also says not to talk back or to steal. Our end product should be as high in quality as our process is to get us there.

3. Demonstrating utter faithfulness. This is another strongly worded command that we might wish Paul had never recorded. Utter faithfulness is hard enough to demonstrate with spouses and flesh-and-blood family. But we have the opportunity to show this level of faithfulness to our employers. They are entrusting their product in our hands. We are the ones who frequently represent the face of the company. If we faithfully execute our jobs, we will remain faithful to our employers.

Without the final phrase of these two verses, these are just three steps to earning a raise. We are to act in submission and faithfulness so that we may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

There’s that tricky word everything again. Not just on Sunday mornings or when we have our church bumper sticker on our car. The Gospel is at stake when we walk through our office doors. Unless you are a full-time missionary or work in ministry, when was the last time you thought of your job in that light? When I answer the phone, interact with a client, and live daily work-life with my coworkers, I have the opportunity to share the love of God.

How would your workday change if you stopped viewing 8-5 as a time to advance your career and rather viewed it as your opportunity to advance the kingdom? God hasn’t called us all to be on staff in the church. He has called us to live faithfully to His Word and infiltrate every aspect of society with the truth of His mercy and grace.