Faith

by Debbie Wallis

because they need their paycheck will always be looking for a better job or the day they can quit A Christian boss should consider his employees as Jesus consider his disciples God has entrusted you with the people He placed to help you succeed You cannot out give God Be generous and God Himself will be generous to you You, too, are to do everything as if you are doing it for Jesus Look at the people that you employee and treat them with the love of Christ. Pray for their weaknesses on the job to become their strengths.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward It is the Lord Christ you are serving,” Colossians 3:23-24

Most of us have to work to provide for our family I have been blessed by being able to have jobs that I loved I had childcare centers in Colorado for almost 20 years. When we moved back to Texas I was a Children’s Minister for 6 years before we moved to Howe. Now I work at my church, I sell junk and paint stuff. Life is sweet and I am blessed.

If you are the employer, be a blessing to your employees Treat people like you would want to be treated and you will have a staff that goes beyond what is expected of them It’s cheaper to keep people who are loyal than to have too many turn overs Happy workers produce more, miss less days, build your reputation in the community and are your best advertisement People should want to work for you not have to work for you Those who only work

Be a blessing to the people you live life with. Someone is watching you as you proclaim to be a believer, including God who sees and hears everything Be proud of whatever you do, serving the Lord with gladness wherever you are Joseph always had favor and success regardless if he was working for Potiphar, a rich Egyptian master, or when he was in prison Ask the Lord to have you find favor, success and blessings with your employer Be a lighthouse at work Pray for your employer and your co-workers success Your prayers and presence will affect their spiritual lives Ask the Lord if you need to change your thoughts regarding your employment. Don’t be jealous of other people being promoted. If you are not satisfied with your income ask God to increase your value to your boss “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in work Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God Without Him, who can eat or even find enjoyment? To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but if a sinner becomes wealthy, God will take the wealth away and hand it over to the one who pleases Him This is meaningless like chasing after the wind,” Ecclesiastes 2:24-

-26 Work as if Jesus was the one who signs your paycheck and passes out the raises Work as if Jesus is your co-worker and setting beside you A Christian at work should radiate the love, honesty and integrity of the Lord You do not want to be known as a person that is lazy, has a bad attitude, jealous, or someone that is easily angered People are observing you every day Your walk must match your talk in every way for you to be an effective witness to God’s saving grace. Don’t gossip or rejoice in others shortcomings. Don’t waste your boss’s time and then complain about your wages. We should always treat others the way we want to be treated and the way Jesus treat us Strive to treat others as Christ treats us “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm Let nothing move you Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain,” 1 Corinthians 15:58 Colossians 3 is all about the realization that God is an all knowing and ever present Go and hears a knows if y complainin the job you have a cho attention to that you ha yourself of grateful fo opportunit best Find from your more Foc hidden par that most p and then d as an expression of Love When Jesus reminded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, work was part of that He calls us to serve one another in His name Your job is the one place where we most often forget this command Think of everything you do at work as a way to express God’s love to others Choose to show love in every task you do If you work as a way to show love then you’ll find yourself quietly cheering for other’s success Maybe it won’t be a standing ovation, but you will certainly feel better if someone else gets that promotion if you love them

This teaching applies to us in all ages of life. Instill this work ethic in your children as they do chores, or help their grandparents. Teach your teens that is not about them but it’s about serving others for the Lord. Volunteer and do that as if you are doing it for the Lord This kind of thinking comes against pride and an entitlement mentality It’s all for the glory of the Lord and He is who we want to please

“The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself ’ No other commandment is greater than these,” Mark 12:31 If you do not have a Bible please contact me at sfadebbie@yahoo com and I will provide you with one