Hard Work

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, Ephesians 6:7

The story is told of a jockey who won more races than anybody else. When asked how he did it, he said before every race he went into the stables and read this poem to his horse: ‘Roses are red, violets are blue; horses that lose are made into glue!’ Fortunately, God doesn’t take that approach with us! But since He was the first employer in the universe, His Word has a lot to say about the responsibilities and rewards of hard work. ‘Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God… Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them’ (vv. 5-9). If you’re the boss, Andrew Carnegie offers the following insights: 1) Organize. Always make sure you have the right person in the right slot. 2) Deputize. Don’t micro-manage. Give a man or woman full authority to do the job you hired them to do, then give them the freedom to do it. 3) Supervise. You don’t get what you expect; you get what you inspect. 4) Recognize. Good workers are hard to find. If you want to keep the ones you’ve got, recognize and reward their efforts.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me at all times to remember ultimately I answer to You and that You require of me to love and respect those You have placed over me and those I am to manage as Your people. In Jesus’ Name, Amen