Jump Start # 535 

Colossians 4:22-23 “Slaves, in all things obey those who are our masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men”

 Paul, in both Ephesians and here in Colossians, defines what Christianity looks like in various relationships. The family unit, husbands, wives, children are described. The work ethic, illustrated by the lowest rung—the slave/master relationship is viewed through the lens of Jesus Christ. Even the slave—one who is owned by another, who has no rights, and no advocate, is expected to walk in the ways of Jesus Christ in all things, especially toward his master.

  People became slaves in many different ways in Bible times. Sometimes, when a nation conquered another nation, slaves were made from the defeated citizens. That happened a lot in the O.T. Some became slaves because they couldn’t pay their debts. We’d be in a mess today if that were the case here in America. Others became indentured servants in order to learn a trade and buy a business. Slavery leaves such a sour taste in our hearts. It is interesting that the Bible doesn’t specifically condemn slavery, but in every society where the gospel has gone, slavery has ended. It’s hard to practice the golden rule while owning someone else. Slave—master relationships became even more complex when one or both became a Christian.

  Paul’s words in Colossians are addressed not to society in general, but to a church. Within that church some were slaves. They were lower than second class citizens, they weren’t citizens at all—yet through Jesus, they were one with the rest of the brethren. How they must have felt worshipping with others who were not slaves. Tensions and difficulties and issues layered many of those early churches in ways that we cannot understand today.

  Paul’s words about the slaves become wonderful principles for us to view our work ethic and jobs. We work. We work because we have to work. I think of the Seven dwarfs who happily sang, “Hi ho, Hi ho, it’s off to work we go.” Not everyone has such wonderful spirits about work as they did. Some dread it. Some hate their jobs. Some are not working when they ought to be—instead, they play around, they do personal business, they waste time, they do anything but work.

  Paul lists three principles in our passage today:

• Do your job. Paul said it this way, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are our masters…”  To obey, is to do what you are supposed to. Some places are great to work at. Others are terrible. Most of us have had some pretty bad jobs early on in our careers. Some bosses do not understand the value of building a team. Instead they take advantage of workers and are insensitive to them. Still, do your job. When it seems unfair, do your job. If it gets the best of you, look for another, but until then, do your job. Paul addresses Masters (bosses) later on. There is no excuse for a Christian to be mean, abusive or cruel to his employees. God sees all that is going on and that person needs to remember that.

• Watch your attitude. Paul said, “not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart…”  The old expression, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play,” refers to simply doing what you are supposed to when you are being watched. Not so for the Christian. Not only is he doing his job, but he is doing the best he can—from the heart, with sincerity, is his motive. Why, because that’s what God wants. God wants you to be true and honest—even at work. This is about character, not paychecks and bonuses. It’s about core values and being a person of principle. It’s about showing Christ, even when others aren’t. This point of Paul’s teaching hits many of us. We’ll work and we’ll work hard, but our spirits and attitudes may not be right. We may be sour and complaining as we do our work. We may talk about the company and the bosses in a negative way to others. We burn on the inside, while doing our jobs on the outside. There’s not much sincerity when that happens. Your spirit is important—this even goes to preachers! Get a group of preachers together and they can start whining and blaming brethren and complaining about their pitiful pay that it makes you wonder if they have ever read these verses! Shame on them!

• The third principle here is to work for the Lord. This point takes care of the first two. Can you imagine Jesus being your boss? Would you work differently if He was? Would you arrive earlier, work harder and complain less? Would you go out of your way and go beyond the call of duty if Jesus was your boss? Paul’s point is then work that way! He is your boss. Don’t get caught up with the rest of the workers who only want a paycheck for showing up. Don’t go negative with everyone else. Don’t become lazy. Your work ethic is a demonstration of your character. What better way to let your light shine, than to be that honest, hard working person that Jesus wants you to be. You will shine if you do that, because no one else around you wants to. You will be noticed, because others don’t want to work.

  Right now, today, at work, you can start living these principles. You do this, not to get a raise, not even to get noticed, not even to get your work done by the end of the day, but for the Lord. Jesus worked hard. He was focused, dedicated and didn’t become like others in spirit and attitude. That’s who we follow. That’s our example.

  Many have difficult circumstances where they work. God knows. Our jobs drain our energy, take up so much time, and add tons of stress to our hearts. Many view their jobs as their life. Managers want that. It’s not that way for the Christian. He’ll work hard. He’ll do what God wants of him, but it’s not his life—it’s only a job. His life is Christ. His life is family, church, and living for the Lord. The job is a means to support the family, help others, and a tool to connect to others and opportunities to share Jesus. This is one of the great things about work—you have a pool of people that need Jesus. Many are broken and hurting and they are looking. Your being there can help that. Talk to your co– workers. Invite them to services. Ask them for Bible studies. Share these Jump Starts with them. God has brought you together—be resourceful. I know many Christians who first learned about Jesus through a co-worker.

  Pray as you work. Pray as you hear others having a melt down. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see others. Show kindness, compassion and Christ.

  Now, let’s get to work!

  Roger