HOW TO BE HAPPY AT WORK
Ephesians 6:5-9
by: Pastor Audie Castillo
Some of us in this room may be thinking, “why do we need to work?” Why do I have to work for others instead of working for myself? Why I have to go abroad to work? Why do I have to leave my loved ones just to go abroad for work? It may sound like a silly question but it’s a valid one.
2 Thess. 3:10b “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
So, if we are working, we are obeying the scriptures. Do not be idle. Work and labor pains in women are the results of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and fall from God’s precious presence.
Genesis 3:17-19 NIV
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
That’s why we are here in the UAE. We went as far as the Middle East to scratch the ground for food. We are called OFWs at ang tawag ng gobyerno sa mga OFW ay “Mga Modern Day Heroes.” But while we are here how can we cope up in the pressures of work? How many of you are happy with what you are doing? Are you happy with your work?
So let me ask you a few questions: "Do you really like your job? How many of you look forward to going to work on Monday mornings because you really miss seeing your boss? How many of you miss your fellow workers so much that you can hardly wait to get back and see how they’re doing?" Now if you answered "Yes" to any of those questions, then you’re in the minority. Surveys reveal that 65% of American workers are unhappy with their jobs. Many of them go to work simply because they have no other choice. "I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go."
It is very important that we love and enjoy our work. The Bible gives us 3 principles how to be happy at work.
1) CHRIST IS OUR BOSS (vs. 5-6)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 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.
As a Christian, You are not ultimately working for your company or your boss. You are not working for yourself. You are working for Jesus Christ. Mentally, you need to change the name of your boss from the human name to the name, Jesus Christ. That is the first thing we need to do. We need to determine that Jesus Christ is our true boss. What would happen tomorrow if you arrive at work and Jesus is your Boss? Would that make a difference in your attitude? It SHOULD!
a) Excel in our attitudes (v.5) not grumbling and whining
A Christian works for more than a day's work for a day's pay. He is the first to arrive and the last to leave. He takes sick leave only when sick. He doesn't cheat on break time, lunch, etc. He works diligently, cheerfully, enthusiastically, without complaining. Did you know employee theft is one of the greatest threats to business today reaching upwards of $50 billion a year? Time theft – arriving late, leaving early and playing sick – accounts for an additional $150 billion. If Jesus is our boss, you won’t do it, will you?
b) Excel in the quality of our work (v. 6) not with eye service
If Jesus is our boss then we will do our jobs with honesty and integrity. Begging the question, what kind of person are you at work when no one is watching?
Martin Luther King wrote, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." We work for Jesus.
In the time of Jesus, the Jews were under the domination of the Roman Empire. A Roman soldier had the legal authority to demand that any Jew carry his equipment for exactly one mile. Jews hated to do this, and they bitterly counted each step. At exactly one mile, they dropped the load and say with disgust, “There! I’ve done what is required!” But Jesus requires a higher standard for His followers. He said, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” (Mt. 5:41) Jesus’ point was that a Roman solider wouldn’t soon forget the person who cheerfully carried his equipment the second mile.
Are you a 1 mile worker or a 2 mile worker? Do you do only the bare minimum or do you go the second mile and leave the mark of excellence on your work? People always remember a second-mile-worker.
If we are working for Jesus as our boss we should be the very best of employees that we can.
2) CHRIST IS OUR REWARDER (vs. 7-8)
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
It is a good idea for every corporation to appreciate their workers through rewards, like employee of the month, perfect attendance, loyalty awards, etc.
a) Work with all our heart not for men but God.
We can find in work places where co-workers are hitting each other, may be not physically but emotionally and personally. We have what we called “crab mentality” “apple polishing” “if I cannot get it, neither can you mentality” and this creates a strong competition among the staff.
Are you aiming for a promotion? Work on it without harming anyone. We have to remember, we are creating a smaller space if we are not getting along with our workmates. We are in the same box 8 hours a day, six days a week.
Treat your workplace as a mission field; we must realize that we are there to be used by the Lord, not only as an employee, but also as a witness for Christ. We always think that people like pastors and missionaries are the only ones in full-time Christian service.
Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”
b) Work with expectation.
Promotion comes from the Lord. The Lord is the rewarder of every good work you do.
3) CHRIST IS OUR MODEL (v. 9)
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Stat: In 2000, Gallup took a poll –
*42 percent of workers reported that yelling and verbal abuse took place where they worked.
*One in ten said that physical violence had occurred where they worked.
*34 percent had lost sleep because of workplace stress, and 23 percent had been driven to tears.
* Almost two-thirds, 65 percent, identified workplace stress as a problem for them personally. [And the other 35 percent must have been too busy the answer the question]. (Source: http://www.lycos.com/health/
a) Christ is both your master and Lord.
b) Christ is no respecter of person.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Dispute of the disciples on who is the greatest
Luke 22:24-30 New Living Translation (NLT)
24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. 28 “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. 29 And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30 to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
CONCLUSION:
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus, whose name means “Christ-bearer,” (Greek - Christoferos) sailed toward the Bahamas. When he landed on the beach, he planted a standard and claimed the territory for Spain and for the glory of God. He recorded his prayer that day in his log. He prayed, “Lord, Almighty, by Your Holy Word You have created the heaven, and earth, and sea; blessed and glorified be Your Name, and praised be Your Majesty, which has designed to use us, Your humble servants, that Your holy Name may be proclaimed in this part of the earth.” Then he named the island San Salvador which means “Holy Savior.”
Each of us ought to be a Columbus at our job and school. We should be a Christ-bearer and we should claim our workplace and school for God. He is calling you to this full-time Christian service at work.
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