‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.’ Ephesians 6:7 NIV
The story is told of a jockey who won more races than anybody else. When asked how he did it, he said before every race he went into the stables and read this poem to his horse: ‘Roses are red, violets are blue; horses that lose are made into glue!’ Fortunately, God doesn’t take that approach with us! But since He was the first employer in the universe, His Word has a lot to say about the responsibilities and rewards of hard work. ‘Slaves, obey your masters here on earth… just as you obey Christ… With all your heart you must do what God wants as people who are obeying Christ. Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women. Remember that the Lord will give a reward to everyone…for doing good. Masters, in the same way, be good to your slaves. Do not threaten them. Remember that the One who is your Master and their Master is in Heaven, and he treats everyone alike.’ (Ephesians 6:5–9 NCV) If you’re the boss, Andrew Carnegie offers the following insights: (1) Organise. Always make sure you have the right person in the right slot. (2) Deputise. Don’t micro–manage. Give a man or woman full authority to do the job you hired them to do, then give them the freedom to do it. (3) Supervise. You don’t get what you expect; you get what you inspect. (4) Recognise. Good workers are hard to find. If you want to keep the ones you’ve got, recognise and reward their efforts.
SoulFood: Micah 1–4; Luke 22:24–38; Ps 78:65–72; Pro 24:11–14
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2014
