Open Heavens 19 August 2015 Wednesday daily devotion: STEALING FROM YOUR EMPLOYER?

STEALING FROM YOUR EMPLOYER?

Memorise: Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;-Ephesians 6:6

Read: Ephesians 6:5-8 (KJV)

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.

Bible In One Year: Genesis 27-28; John 16:16-33

MESSAGEOne aspect of Christian character that is often neglected is our attitude to our place of paid employment. Some people out-rightly steal things kept in their care by their employer; such should not even be mentioned among Christians. However, there are other subtle ways people steal from their employers. When you accept to work for an organisation, there is an understanding or even a written agreement regarding your working hours. If you are to resume at 7:30 AM but you get late to work, you are stealing time from your employer. If you are to close at 5:00 PM but you leave at 4:00 PM, you are a thief. There are even situations where an employee will resume and close at the normal time, but while in the office, instead of concentrating on the assignment at hand, he or she will spend a good portion of time browsing the internet for personal leisure, watching television or videos, or just gallivanting and gossiping from desk to desk. If you are engaged in any of these, you are equally stealing time from your employer. In addition, taking or using for personal purposes any material or property that belongs to your organisation with permission amounts to stealing.

“Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;” -Ephesians 6:6

Another way employees steal from their employers is by pretending to work when the boss is around but dumping the work or doing a shoddy job when the boss is not there. Today’s reading says that there should be a difference between a Christian employee and his or her non-Christian counterpart. While unbelievers may work just to be seen, believers should work as if they are doing that official assignment as a service to Jesus Christ. To this end, realising that the Lord is ever present, you will do your work as to the Lord from your heart. A Christian employee will work conscientiously because he or she knows that by doing his or her secular work to please God and to glorify His name, not only will the organisation pay for this service, God will equally give the fellow a good reward for a job well done. It means that you can actually earn double for doing a particular job once. If the effort you put into your job does not glorify God, you will be paid only by your employer, but if it does, you will be paid by your employer and by God. How do you handle your official assignments today?

Key Point: How can you win your employer to Christ if you cheat or steal from them?