Bondage and slavery are illegal today in most societies; during the time of the writing of the Bible, bondage was common and accepted. The writers of the Bible gave instruction on how bondservants were to conduct themselves. While we do not have bondservants today, some of the instructions given to them apply to us as employees working for bosses.
Here are some of the scriptures that give instructions to bondservants. Ephesians 6:5-8 “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.” Colossians 3:22-24 “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Titus 2:9-10 “Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” What can we learn from these scriptures for employees today?
As an employee, you need to obey your boss and do what he or she asks you to do. As an employee, you are being paid to do a certain job. If you decide for yourself that you are going to do something different than what your boss told you to do, or you do not accomplish what your boss asked you to do, you are not obeying your boss. If your boss tells you to do something unethical or illegal, then you should not obey your boss because “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29b) and God does not want us to do anything unethical or illegal.
As an employee, you should not do your work with “eyeservice, as men-pleasers”. Eyeservice is either work done only to please the eye, which cannot bear to be tested; or it may be good work done only when the boss’ eye is upon you. Many employees are idle or do non-work activities but get busy doing work when the boss comes around. This should not be you. You need to work as if you are working for Jesus and God. They know everything you do every moment of the day, so you cannot fool them. Are you a true disciple of Jesus Christ? Then do your work for your employer as if you were working for Christ. You should not do your work half-heartedly or with little effort, but heartily, as to the Lord.
As an employee, you should not talk back to your boss in a disrespectful way; show respect to him or her as your authority. You should never steal from your employer, whether that be large items such as tools or items to be sold or small things such as supplies or telephone or computer time; these items belong to your employer and are not yours to take without permission. Whatever responsibilities you are given, perform your tasks with good fidelity so that if you are audited, your work will be found to be done well.
As an employee, do your work “so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.” 1 Timothy 6:1b