1 Timothy 6:1-2 (NKJV) Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.Not all of us are called to be entrepreneurs and businessmen therefore we will most likely be working for someone. The Bible is very practical it its teaching on how we should behave serving Christian or non-Christian bosses/employers.
The above scripture teaches us that the boss/employer is worthy of all honor and those whom the Lord has placed us to work under are worthy of our respect. Learning to submit to the authority that God has placed over us is also a form of godliness.
Sometimes, we might not know how to control ourselves to ensure that we do not overstep the authority that God has placed over us, or to ensure that proper protocol is being observed so that we protect ourselves from unnecessary sufferings and sorrows through silly mistakes, words, behavior and decisions. Godliness is seen through our words and our behavior especially in the area of how we respect and honor our bosses.
1 Samuel 29:5(NKJV) Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”
It is absolutely true that David excelled at the battle front and he couldn’t stop the crowd from celebrating his conquests. Yet David always acknowledged that King Saul was God’s anointed one even though he knew the ability that God had given him. Being wise also means that one should keep a low profile rather than outshining your boss by downplaying your significant contributions even though it is true. It will help us not to be a threat to someone who is insecure. We should also approach and tell those who constantly sing our praises to stop or tone it down. King Saul was a very insecure person who was threatened by David’s achievements and he wasn’t able to appreciate the asset that God had placed alongside him. He pursued to destroy David out of his insecurity. Insecurity will drive people to do silly things. It is more profitable that your boss appreciates you rather than to be threatened by you. It is more effective to work as a team and be a wonderful supporter. Promotion comes neither from the East nor the West but from the Lord. Bless those who persecute you and do not curse. Meanwhile, you don’t have to worry if someone is seeking to destroy you because God will tend to it. Learn from David who did nothing to King Saul despite of his efforts to kill him. He left King Saul in God’s hands. David was still promoted despite the challenges that he went through.
We have to honor our bosses whether they are Christians or non-Christians. In fact, it may be harder to work for a Christian boss because we may have certain expectations of them to adhere to biblical values and principles. We might bring more harm, sorrow and repercussion if we do not know how to manage our emotions, words and reactions toward certain decisions made by our bosses. It is important to be respectful and to give honor when honor is due. It is a form of protection that God has put in place.
Sermon Series: Balancing Godliness and Riches (Part 1)
当敬重你的雇主
提 摩 太 前 書 6:1-2 凡 在 轭 下 作 仆 人 的 ， 当 以 自 己 主 人 配 受 十 分 的 恭 敬 ， 免 得 神 的 名 和 道 理 被 人 亵 渎 。2 仆 人 有 信 道 的 主 人 ， 不 可 因 为 与 他 是 弟 兄 就 轻 看 他 ； 更 要 加 意 服 事 他 ； 因 为 得 服 事 之 益 处 的 ， 是 信 道 蒙 爱 的 。 你 要 以 此 教 训 人 ， 劝 勉 人 。
并非所有人都受呼召成为企业家和商人，因此我们很有可能为别人工作。圣经在教导我们如何为基督徒或非基督徒的老板/雇主服务时，是非常切合实际的。
上面的经文告诉我们，老板/雇主配受十分的恭敬，而那些主所安排我们在其手下工作的人值得我们的尊重。 学会服从神设立在我们之上的权柄也是敬虔的一种形式。
有时候，我们或许不太清楚如何控制自己，以确保我们不逾越神为我们所设立的权柄，或确保遵守正确的准则来保护自己，避免愚蠢的错误、言语、行为或决策而导致的不必要的灾难和痛苦。通过我们的言行举止可以看出敬虔，尤其是我们如何尊重和尊敬老板。
撒 母 耳 記 上 29:5从 前 以 色 列 的 妇 女 跳 舞 唱 和 说 ： 扫 罗 杀 死 千 千 ， 大 卫 杀 死 万 万 ， 所 说 的 不 是 这 个 大 卫 麽 ？
毫无疑问，大卫在战场上表现出色，他无法阻止群众庆祝他的胜利。但大卫始终承认扫罗王是神的受膏者，即便他知道神赋予他的能力。明智的做法还意味着应该保持低调，而不是超越你老板，对重大贡献轻描淡写，即使那是事实。这将帮助我们对那些缺乏安全感的人不构成威胁。我们还应该告诉那些不断歌颂赞美我们的人停止或减少赞美。扫罗王是一个非常缺乏安全感的人，受到大卫成就的威胁，他无法欣赏神在他旁边所赐予他的有用的人才。出于不安全感，他竭力要摧毁大卫。缺乏安全感将驱使人们去做傻事。老板欣赏你比感到被你威胁会更有利。在团队里合作并成为出色的支持者会更有效率。高举非从东，非从西而来，而是来自主。祝福而不是诅咒那些逼迫你的人。同时你不必担心有人试图毁坏你，因为神会看顾。向大卫学习，他没有对扫罗王做任何事，尽管扫罗竭力要杀他。他将扫罗王留在了神的手中。尽管经历了许多挑战，但大卫还是得到了高举。
无论老板是基督徒还是非基督徒，我们都必须敬重他。实际上，为基督徒的老板工作可能会更难，因为我们可能对他们遵循圣经的价值观和原则抱有某些期望。对我们老板做出的某些决定，如果我们不知道如何管理我们的情绪、言语和反应，可能会带来更多的伤害、悲伤和后果。重要的是在该尊重的时候给与尊重。这是神建立的一种保护机制。
讲章系列: 平衡敬虔和富足 (第一部分)