Ephesians 6:5-8
“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.”
This is a profoundly important passage of scripture. I encourage you to slow down and reflect deeply on what is being said here.
In verse 5 we are called to do our jobs “with a sincere heart.” The word for “sincere” is haplotes, and it means “purity, simplicity, singleness.” It describes the disposition of our heart toward our work. It speaks to the motivation and mindset we bring to our job. It describes the attitude and energy the Lord wants us to have as we do our work every day.
The message is that our hearts should be fully submitted to Jesus, and because of that, our hearts should also be fully engaged in our work. No matter how mundane or tedious, our work matters to God.
To strengthen this point, in verse 6 the apostle makes the connection between doing our daily work and obeying the will of God. We might have an earthly boss, but as we go about our daily tasks, ultimately we are serving the Lord.
We are called to do God’s will and honor God through the way we work. What we do, how we do it, and why we do it is important to the Lord.
We are instructed to “do the will of God.”
In Peter Drucker’s 1954 book The Practice of Management, he tells the story of the three stonecutters.
“While walking, a traveler came across three stonecutters and asked each of them what they were doing. The first replied, “I am making a living.” The second kept on hammering and replied, “I am doing the best job of stone cutting in the entire country.” The third stopped, looked up at the traveler with a gleam in his eye, and said, “I am building a cathedral.”
That means Paul is telling us, “Don’t do your job to please people; do your job in a way that reflects Jesus in your life.”
God created a world where work matters, and he designed us to be workers in that world. God created us, put his image in us, and gave us dominion, which means he gave us the responsibility to manage the planet as his earthly representatives. We are priests over creation.
Work is the primary activity by which we fulfill the commandment to have dominion and manage the world we live in. That is God’s design.
If Christ does not rule in our hearts, we will not work effectively on earth.
This is precisely Paul’s message to Christian bosses and employees. Do your job. Do your work. Do it in a way that pleases God. Doing your job every day requires having a vision, planning, setting goals, executing the plan, learning and making adjustments, and laboring to achieve results. This is the way God designed it to be. He is pleased when we achieve things and produce results, provided our hearts are right.
God is concerned with the what, why, and how of our daily efforts. He wants Christian bosses to lead effectively, and he wants Christian employees to fulfill their roles effectively. This means the Lord calls us to have the right attitude, discipline, work ethic, and skill set to do our jobs.
It cannot be emphasized enough that being a Christian worker means focusing on your attitude, discipline, work ethic, and skill set. These things were broken by the Fall, but they have been redeemed by Christ. People in the world should see a demonstrable difference in the way a Christian boss leads and the way a Christian employee executes their job.
In this passage in Ephesians, Paul very clearly describes the work ethic that every Christian should bring to their job every day: “…doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man.”
As followers of Christ, we are agents of the kingdom of God. We work for the Audience of One.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3.23-24)
