“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
As we meditate this week on work and responsibilities as Christians it is good to remember that Peter is addressing people on how to live in a persecuting environment. Last week he addressed issues regarding living in a hostile society in relationship to those in authority over us. Now he addresses the slaves who have people over them. How do you live as a Christian, owned by a master?
we have outlawed slavery and rightly so, many things do not directly affect us except in principle - in relationship to those in authority over us in the workplace. People pay us for our time to do things for them, unless we are self-employed. I believe these principles apply even in voluntary work, work at home, and work as students in school.
want to return to the principle of vs. 12. “We are to live such good lives as Christians among the pagan world so people will see our good deeds and glorify God.” How we live our lives even when things don’t seem to be going well is honoring to God, if we do so according to Peter’s principles.
What do you do when your boss asks you to do something that is against your principles? If you are a secretary and your boss says when someone calls, "Tell them I am not in" should you obey your boss and lie or not?
A friend of mine was working as an accountant for a company. He told me that his boss wanted him to lie on an inventory statement claiming damaged goods totally over $1,000. The goods were not damaged. He came to me for counsel. How would you advise him? He did what he believed God would have him do and was willing to take the consequences of being fired rather than lying. The result was his bosses were more impressed with his honesty and gave him a promotion.
Another fellow was a salesman in his company and his supervisors not only required that he buy his clients drinks to help purchase deals but also that he was required to drink alcohol with them, for the clients were more apt to buy when salesmen would drink with them. If he failed to comply was told he could look for a job someplace else. What would you do if that was a requirement for working there? He chose to follow his conscience and convictions and lost his job.
Some Christians are forced to make compromises at work that go against Biblical ethics. Sometimes professing Christians are poor testimonies of their faith in the workplace. Christians who refuse to be molded by the world often find it difficult to be ethical and Christ honoring. There are times when you are blessed for doing what is right and good. There are times when you do what you believe God would have you do and you suffer unfairly.
How are we to act regarding our working lives? Remember for whom you work! It is not the human bosses we are trying to please, but our Father who is in heaven.
Prayer: Lord, in whatever I do, may I work heartily as to You and not for men, knowing that ultimately it is You that I serve.
