Thought for the Day

Verse 4 - These verses deal with the practical matter of our work ethic. One will become poor if he deals with a "slack hand," that is, to be remiss about the things that we have charge over and "slack off." Many people have this type of approach to their work. They do the least amount of work that they can do without jeopardizing their jobs. These people will always have to accept lesser-paying jobs because they will never be promoted.

"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; 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 of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 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" (Ephesians 6:5-9).

In the scripture above, employees would be in the "servant" (performing services) position, while the boss would be in the "master" position. Paul gives instructions for both. Employers are accountable to God for their treatment of their employees. Employees are to submit to an employer's orders unless it requires immoral action. We must not work simply to please our employers, but more importantly, to please our Lord. If we have this attitude, God, who sees our labor and desire to please Him, will reward us. Sometimes employers are unfair and do not appreciate good workers enough to raise their salaries. If we feel that we are being mistreated, we must take our case to God. He will defend us and show us what to do. However, we must keep our hearts right and not speak ill of our employer to fellow-workers. We should pray for those in authority and allow the Holy Spirit to help us to deal with problems on the job in a godly way.

Verse 5 - Every farmer who has a son would desire him to be like the wise son in this verse. This son does not slack off in the summer, but works to help gather in the harvest. A lazy son who sleeps during this very critical time certainly brings shame to his family by failing to do his part. If his father does not have enough workers, his laziness could cause the loss of the harvest and bring poverty to the whole family. We can apply this spiritually also. Our heavenly Father asks His children to help Him bring in a harvest of souls for His kingdom. We have only a small window of time to get the job done for our Father. We must not slumber, but toil while we can, for a time is coming when we cannot labor (John 9:4). We do not want to be sons who bring their Father shame.