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Have you ever been “passed over” for a promotion or raise that you knew you deserved? If that has ever happened to you, I don’t have to tell you how discouraging it can be not to get credit for your contributions at work. And yet, these things happen all the time.
We live and work in a world that is neither fair nor kind. That’s because the world is full of people who have a sin problem, including us! And that sin problem creates injustice of all sorts.
Injustice is one of my toughest hurdles. I always want to fight when I think my rights or someone else’s rights are being violated. As you can imagine, this tendency has gotten me into some hot water and created not a few problems in my work life.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” (Ephesians 6:7-8).
I have to remind myself that if I serve wholeheartedly as unto the Lord, the recognitions and rewards will come in due time.
As Christians, we pick up our paychecks at our place of work, but our real job is to please the Lord and work for him. Our reward is waiting for us in heaven—but we can reap the benefits now, too. Just imagine how your stress level will drop as thoughts of vengeance and discontent are replaced with calm satisfaction over a job well done, and knowing that Jesus is pleased with you!
So, my challenge to us all is to remember all day long that we report to Jesus, and he will reward his “good and faithful servants.”