Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

As we meditate this week on work and responsibilities as Christians it is good to remember the context of what Peter is addressing is how to live in a persecuting environment. Last week we addressed issues regarding living in a hostile society in relationship to those in authority over us. Now we ask how do you live as a Christian who is owned by a master?

Since we have outlawed slavery, and rightly so, many things directly do not affect us except in principle as to those who are in authority over us. In employment people pay for our time to do some things for them, unless we are self employed. But these principles apply even in voluntary work or work at home or as students in school.

I want to go back to the principle of vs. 12 as we introduce this subject. We are to live such good lives as Christians among the pagan world so people will see our good deeds and glorify God. How we live our lives even when things don’t seem to be going well is honoring to God if we do so according to Peter’s principles.

What do you do when your boss asks you to do something that is against your principles?  If you are a secretary and your boss says, "Tell them I am not in"? Should you obey your boss and lie, or not?

A friend of mine was working as an accountant for a company.  He told me that his boss wanted him to lie on an inventory statement claiming damaged goods totally over $1,000.  The goods were not damaged.  He came to me for counsel. How would you advise him?  He eventually did what he believed God would have him do and was willing to take the consequences of being fired rather than lying. The result was his bosses were more impressed with his honesty and gave him a promotion.  

According to Doug Sherman in an article "Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp, "A growing body of research suggests that religious beliefs and convictions make little difference in the behavior of people on the job." A Gallup poll found church goers only slightly ahead in the ethics race, citing instances of 43% of unbelievers confess taking home supplies from work -but so do 37 % of church goers.

Some Christians are forced to make compromises at work that go against Biblical ethics. Sometimes professing Christians are poor testimonies of their faith in the workplace. Christians who refuse to be molded by the world often find it difficult to be ethical and Christ honoring. There are times when you are blessed for doing what is right and good.  There are times when you do what you believe God would have you do and you suffer unfair consequences.   

Application:   How are we to act regarding our working lives? There are different things we should consider regarding our employment which we will address in the next days. But first remember for whom you work! It is not the human boss we are trying to please, but our Father who is in Heaven.

Prayer:  Father, help me to be honest in all things, to be real in all situations and seek only to please You.