1 Timothy 6:1
Our job on the job

This verse from Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, is about slaves. The word for bondservant is 'doulos' and it means 'someone owned by someone else'. Slavery was common throughout the Roman empire and here, Paul tells slaves how they should behave themselves in this reality.

They are under a yoke (heavy burden), but while in this position, they should 'count' their masters worthy of all honor. The word for count is 'hegeomai', and it has two meanings. It can mean 'to lead', or 'to consider, deem, or think'. Paul tells slaves that they should think highly of their masters. Why should they do this? So that the name of God and His doctrine will not be blasphemed. The way they behaved themselves reflected on God. If they served their masters, esteeming them highly, and their masters knew they were Christians, their masters would think favorably of Christianity.

Paul also had instructions for masters, for people who owned slaves. They had to treat the slaves as the slaves had to treat them (Eph 6:9). Jesus taught that if we want to be great in heaven, we have to serve others here on earth (Mark 10:43), regardless of our position. So even though the bible does not condemn slavery in itself, it does teach that masters should serve their slaves! Of course, we humans did not keep these instructions and as a result, slavery led to some of the worst human abuses in our history. So it was a devout Christian, William Wilberforce, who led the movement to abolish slavery in the western world.

How does this verse apply to us today then? If you replace bondservant with employee, and master with employer, things are very applicable. Employees have to serve their masters, counting them worthy of honor. Being a good employee, trying to make your boss successful, and honoring him or her, makes God look good. When you are an employee, your colleagues should know that you are a Christian, and they should see a difference between you and others. As Jesus Himself taught: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt 5:16).

God created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). Therefore, we fulfill our purpose on this planet when our lives bring God glory. How does God get glory? When people (and heavenly creatures) think well of Him. When do people think well of God? When they see that God's people are doing good things. When they see people that follow his doctrine, are living attractive lives. So when you are an employee, and spend a lot of time in the office, ask yourself this: "Can people see my good works? Do they see me serving my boss, giving her or him honor?" Our job on the job is to make God look good.

Godspeed!