“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is slave or free.
And you masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6:5-9)
In this passage, the apostle Paul emphasizes Christian character toward our jobs. Christ has expectations of every follower, no matter which rung of the ladder they hold. Whether the master or the slave, the employer or the employee, the boss or the one being bossed.
He tells the servants they are to work with sincerity of heart, not with eye-service as men-pleasers. This phrase talks of one who works hard when the boss is around, but is lazy and a slacker when nobody is watching. Such an individual is only worried about not getting in trouble and will do exactly the amount of work necessary, no more, no less. This worker is only interested in self, and everyone around knows it.
Paul writes that the character of a Christian is seen when he does everything to the best of his ability, no matter who is watching. The Christian recognizes he/she is in the service of God and therefore will do the work of God from the heart at all times.
However, the Master is also told to do the same thing. Just because you are the boss does not mean you get to do whatever you want without consideration of Christ. For there is no partiality with God. He will treat the master the same as the slave, the boss the same as the employee. Therefore, the heart of the master must also be focused on service to Christ, and it must show in the way others are treated.
So, does your Christian character show in the workplace?