Serve the Lord and not men

 26 Oct 25

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Life Application Study Bible Devotion


Serve the Lord and not men

Paul's instructions encourage responsibility and integrity on the job. Christian employees should do their jobs as if Jesus Christ were their supervisor. And Christian employers should treat their employees fairly and with respect. Can you be trusted to do your best, even when the boss is not around? Do you work hard and with enthusiasm? Do you treat your employees as people, not machines? Remember that no matter whom you work for, and no matter who works for you, the One you ultimately should want to please is your Father in heaven.


“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. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Reflections

I think as Christians, we ought to look at things from different perspectives. In this case, we should not only look at things from an employee perspective but also from an employer perspective.


From the employee perspective, I think most often I hear people complaining about work. Too much to do, too little time, etc. However, I also saw another problem. People, especially Asians, don’t know how to say “no”. It felt like they are responsible for everything. Everyone just kept doing and forgot to rest. This is super unhealthy and most often ended up having no time to rest, stressed and eventually burnt out. Then they blame the boss for giving them too much work. But nobody raise the alarm and tell Boss that they are overloaded. They just try to keep doing and doing. Then whose fault is that? 


Even when we are serving in church, it’s the same thing. It’s an Asian culture we are trying to break here. Saying the truth. Telling others we need help when we truly do, not having to wait till we get frustrated and thinking why ain’t anyone helping us. I think even when we serve the Lord, we will have to steward our time properly. We will have to find intentional time to commune with the Lord and find rest.


Even from the employer perspective, we need to learn how to steward God’s people. Put the best people in their places. Care for His flocks like how He would too. Always be kind. As employers or supervisors, we also need to be mindful not to only look at KPIs, the to-dos and totally neglect the welfare of our people. Work will forever be there and it will never be finished. So the people who work for you should be well taken care of. That would then be a good steward for the Lord.

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