Featured How to work as a Christian on the job?

Unless you are a manager or supervisor you are only responsible for how you do your job.

"And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.
Matthew 5:41 NAS77

 

I have been employed by the USAF for 33 years now and I had a short break in between active duty and civilian status where I held a job for about two months. I worked my butt off because I thought I would be keeping that job and I wanted to work my way up to management. It was a factory job. The people I worked with really didn't like me and even told me I was working to fast and doing too good of a job. They had learned to do as little as possible without getting fired. Then I come along and start out producing them by almost double and that didn't settle well. I don't think the American working force is what it used to be.

 

Ephesians 6: 5-8

Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ, not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,with good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men,knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive from the Lord, whether he be bond or free.


Collosians 3:22-25

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men,knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ.

 

Work hard, do your best, do whatever it takes, those principles will pay off for you, if you keep longer view than today or this week.

But as far as working without question; there is nothing wrong with questioning why. Often the only way we get efficiency gains and improvements to jobs is because instead of working blindly someone asked the question, “Why are we doing something this way?” The key is to ask in a way that is tactful and helpful, not argumentative.

I believe you never get ahead by making your boss look bad. I have had some terrible bosses over the years. There have been a few really good ones, but more bad than good. I did my best to make them all look good. I don’t believe you ever get ahead by knocking the guy ahead of you off the ladder.

Now there are some employers who will recognize this and some won’t, but do you really want to work for one of the ones who won’t?

 

These are from Steve Marr's Business Proverbs website.

http://www.stevemarr.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=111&Itemid=44

1. Quite simply, the Golden Rule.

Matthew 7, NASB
12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."​

Whether customer, supplier, manager, or fellow worker, do the things that make you respect, admire and honor others.

2. Give full measure to your customers, employees, co-workers, managers.

Luke 6
38 "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure -- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." ​

Give good value to your customers, give good work to your employer, give good support to those around you, subordinate or higher-up.

3. Discern the truth, not relying on emotions, prejudices, or personal perspective.

John 7
24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." ​

Seek out the facts, don't jump to conclusions, and make sure you have all of the truth before acting.

4. Commit to providing a high quality service, product, or performance.

Ecclesiastes 11
3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. ​

You are only as good as your last performance or product. No matter how great a service you have provided in the past, one lapse in Christian work ethic establishes a benchmark from which you can only rise.

As to providing witness in work place, Focus on the Family has an excellent article on its website.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/fai...iew/making_a_difference_in_the_workplace.aspx​

• Do you fake happiness even when you are sad about something?
• Have you ever shared a personal concern with a co-worker?
• Have you openly spoken about how God helped you during a tough time?
• Do your actions at work reflect your Christian principles?
• Are you pursing excellence, as working for the Lord, not for men?
• Do you have a vision for your workplace?

If you aren't real in your faith, you won't be seen as real in your witness.

 

I once read a quotation in an office that has stuck with me for over 50 years; "You are judged solely on your results, not on the difficulty you encounter in attaining it".

 

What in the name of Sam Hill are you doing at this job? Building rockets? Fission? Extracting DNA? Writing computer programs?

I have owned, operated and managed businesses in many different fields. Here's some things I've observed when an employee is having difficulty in their position:

1. I trained them poorly. As an employer, I'm obligated to train my employees to perform a task. Have you been properly trained to perform your job? If not, ask for additional training in the areas that give you the most trouble. Any job requires the best training you can get. I'm assuming you did the Way of the Master twice on purpose.

2. You are working outside your skill set. I managed two car dealerships back in the day. I hired and trained all the salespeople. Some folks couldn't sell water to a thirsty man. Nice people but they just weren't cut out for the job.

3. You're working outside your calling. You will never be settled vocationally until you are in the center of God's will for your life. I was making six figures in the car business. My first church paid me $150 a week and had a parsonage.

4. Work allergies. Some folks are plain lazy and don't want to give a day's work for a day's wage. They will come up with any excuse to quit.

It doesn't matter what you do for a living. If you find yourself shoveling poo out of a calf pen then shovel like you were doing it for Jesus -- because you are.

 

No, thankfully I left and took a better job back with the USAF.

 

So this newest job is beginning to unravel?

 

You often complain about this, no matter what job you have. I haven't been around long, but I gather that this becomes a problem for you in every line of work you've tried.

You need a career counselor. They will help you find work you are qualified to do. I would not hesitate to find one, if I were you. You haven't been working in the right fields of employment.