Eyeservice and Menpleasers - Employees and Employers
Eyeservice and Menpleasers – Employees and Employers
Ms. Nadia Lopez, 37, is the principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in New York. She is very dedicated to her job that her students noticed her when she was not trying to impress anyone. Last week, Ms. Lopez and one of her students, 13 year old Vidal Chastanet visited the White House on the invitation of President Obama. If Ms. Lopez can be noticed by the many around the world and the president of the United States, how much more will God notice her diligence and hard work? God noticed Ms. Lopez.
Brandon Stanton, saw Vidal walking home from school and took a video of him that has gone viral. This is what Vidal said about his principal, when asked by Stanton. "Who's influenced you the most in your life?" "My principal, Ms. Lopez." "How has she influenced you?" "When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter." You and I are making impressions to people at work, home, school and etc. as we do our job. The question is what kind of impressions are we making? Do the people matter to us or are we just collecting paychecks?
Continuing with the theme of being filled with the Holy Spirit that leads to submission to God and to one another, Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
We have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2). Whatever you are occupied with and doing at this present time consider it as ordained by God. We are not judged by the job of tomorrow but this job of today and now. You cannot please God in tomorrow’s job if you are not pleasing Him today as working unto the Lord. We are not promised tomorrow and we must be faithful in the little things of today before entrusted with the big things of tomorrow.
Paul used the word “servant” and some translations say “slave”. There were slaves and servants then and there are even today. This is not a justification for slavery. We have voluntary slaves and servants – you and me. An employee works at will. Even some slaves work at will. The issue here is working as unto the Lord – submitting to the Lordship of Jesus. “But as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart”.
Our work is our ministry. I am a firm believer that we only have one life and not two lives. There is no ministry/church life and then secular life. Whatever we do is unto the Lord. You and I are in full-time ministry. The pastor, the mechanic, the janitor, the engineer, the priest, the politician, the work -at-home mother and the outside-work-place mother, the doctor and the ditch digger are all in full-time ministry. I prefer “work-at-home mother” instead of “stay-at-home mother” because it is not like those at home are staying and doing nothing all day. The work of all mothers is very hard and tough and we applaud all mothers for their hard work regardless of place of work.
How will Christ judge our work? Are we the lazy servants he talked about who hid the talent or those who invested what He has given to produce more? Many are looking for promotion and God is saying be faithful in the little things first. How can God promote us to a higher position when we don’t treat right the few we are working with now? He would not give you more people for you to mistreat whether as an employer or employee (supervisor or a co-worker).
We believers in Christ must be the best workers ever not to impress anyone but to work for God not as men pleasers. We are to work "with good will" - meaning good attitude and without complaining. Every sector or profession has some factored down time in its operation. There are some minimal goof off times allowed but when one goofs off 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week times 26 weeks in a year, then there is a serious problem. We are to work hard and not spend the employer’s time phone-yakking, googling, texting, tweeting, facebooking and every other social media activities there is. Many of us need to repent and ask God for forgiveness. If we do not work and we get paid for it, it amounts to stealing. If you are an employer and you cut corners at the expenses of your customers and products you are equally stealing.
Are we going to hear “good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”? This is the bottom line of our existence. We have been saved for good works and it does not matter what work you are doing as long as it is what God has ordained for you now. We must grow where we are planted instead of trying to uproot ourselves for another location unless God inspired. “I can do all things thru Christ” apostle Paul wrote. Ms. Lopez (herself a mother of a 13 year old) works in the poorest, toughest, gang-infested neighborhood of Brooklyn New York. She is making a difference for Christ where she is right now. Since the video of Vidal went viral, they have raised over $1 million for Harvard visits and scholarships.
I enjoy going to work and working in general. I look forward to encouraging a co-worker in his or her day as we do our work together. I hope you look forward to working regardless of where you work. Let’s keep in mind – “8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord”. Let’s be in the habit of praying for our co-workers, the people we serve and as employers for our employees and customers. Let God notice you and He will cause people to notice you in your work. May God continue to empower us thru His Spirit and help us to glorify Him in all that we do. Amen.
Ms. Nadia Lopez, 37, is the principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in New York. She is very dedicated to her job that her students noticed her when she was not trying to impress anyone. Last week, Ms. Lopez and one of her students, 13 year old Vidal Chastanet visited the White House on the invitation of President Obama. If Ms. Lopez can be noticed by the many around the world and the president of the United States, how much more will God notice her diligence and hard work? God noticed Ms. Lopez.
Brandon Stanton, saw Vidal walking home from school and took a video of him that has gone viral. This is what Vidal said about his principal, when asked by Stanton. "Who's influenced you the most in your life?" "My principal, Ms. Lopez." "How has she influenced you?" "When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter." You and I are making impressions to people at work, home, school and etc. as we do our job. The question is what kind of impressions are we making? Do the people matter to us or are we just collecting paychecks?
Continuing with the theme of being filled with the Holy Spirit that leads to submission to God and to one another, Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
We have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2). Whatever you are occupied with and doing at this present time consider it as ordained by God. We are not judged by the job of tomorrow but this job of today and now. You cannot please God in tomorrow’s job if you are not pleasing Him today as working unto the Lord. We are not promised tomorrow and we must be faithful in the little things of today before entrusted with the big things of tomorrow.
Paul used the word “servant” and some translations say “slave”. There were slaves and servants then and there are even today. This is not a justification for slavery. We have voluntary slaves and servants – you and me. An employee works at will. Even some slaves work at will. The issue here is working as unto the Lord – submitting to the Lordship of Jesus. “But as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart”.
Our work is our ministry. I am a firm believer that we only have one life and not two lives. There is no ministry/church life and then secular life. Whatever we do is unto the Lord. You and I are in full-time ministry. The pastor, the mechanic, the janitor, the engineer, the priest, the politician, the work -at-home mother and the outside-work-place mother, the doctor and the ditch digger are all in full-time ministry. I prefer “work-at-home mother” instead of “stay-at-home mother” because it is not like those at home are staying and doing nothing all day. The work of all mothers is very hard and tough and we applaud all mothers for their hard work regardless of place of work.
How will Christ judge our work? Are we the lazy servants he talked about who hid the talent or those who invested what He has given to produce more? Many are looking for promotion and God is saying be faithful in the little things first. How can God promote us to a higher position when we don’t treat right the few we are working with now? He would not give you more people for you to mistreat whether as an employer or employee (supervisor or a co-worker).
We believers in Christ must be the best workers ever not to impress anyone but to work for God not as men pleasers. We are to work "with good will" - meaning good attitude and without complaining. Every sector or profession has some factored down time in its operation. There are some minimal goof off times allowed but when one goofs off 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week times 26 weeks in a year, then there is a serious problem. We are to work hard and not spend the employer’s time phone-yakking, googling, texting, tweeting, facebooking and every other social media activities there is. Many of us need to repent and ask God for forgiveness. If we do not work and we get paid for it, it amounts to stealing. If you are an employer and you cut corners at the expenses of your customers and products you are equally stealing.
Are we going to hear “good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”? This is the bottom line of our existence. We have been saved for good works and it does not matter what work you are doing as long as it is what God has ordained for you now. We must grow where we are planted instead of trying to uproot ourselves for another location unless God inspired. “I can do all things thru Christ” apostle Paul wrote. Ms. Lopez (herself a mother of a 13 year old) works in the poorest, toughest, gang-infested neighborhood of Brooklyn New York. She is making a difference for Christ where she is right now. Since the video of Vidal went viral, they have raised over $1 million for Harvard visits and scholarships.
I enjoy going to work and working in general. I look forward to encouraging a co-worker in his or her day as we do our work together. I hope you look forward to working regardless of where you work. Let’s keep in mind – “8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord”. Let’s be in the habit of praying for our co-workers, the people we serve and as employers for our employees and customers. Let God notice you and He will cause people to notice you in your work. May God continue to empower us thru His Spirit and help us to glorify Him in all that we do. Amen.
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