Biblical Covenant Workplace Relationships

Biblical covenant workplace relationships are dependent on an individual being able to apply God’s word to their relationships at work using wisdom and discernment.  Gods’ word instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39 English Standard Version).  When at work we should recognize that our neighbors are those that we work with.  Despite how they may act out towards you Gods’ word is clear that we must love our neighbors in the same way we love ourselves.  Displaying a negative attitude towards others should be an indicator of how we see ourselves.  In (Colossians 3:23 English Standard Version) shows us that whatever we do at work we should do it with all of our hearts as if we were working for God and not human masters.

Working in ministry or even work can sometimes be challenging.  Having had many personal experiences working in ministry has exposed me to the challenges that one may face.   For example, being a member of a worship team does not come without challenges where one must persevere and sacrifice.  Recalling a time when there was an individual who constantly insisted that their note was the right note asking others to sing out of their range.  One day someone on the team challenged their opinion to state that they were incorrect.  Letting the individual know that they were not going to risk damaging my vocal cords to sing that note because it was out of their range.  This individual was disturbed by the person’s correction and became upset with the individual.  The other individual did feel conviction in how they approached the person because they did notice that it was done out of frustration but not in love, however, they did not feel sorry for challenging their opinion.  There was an awkwardness when they saw the individual again but they were apologetic for their approach.  A few weeks went by, and the team noticed that the individual who challenged everyone to sing out of range was not attending practices.  Later the team was informed that the individual had a medical emergency that they needed to take care of.  The team lifted the individual in prayer and after a few weeks, the person returned.  This individual was out because they damaged their vocal cords for singing out of their range after they returned they felt the conviction upon their heart and apologized not only to the person but the entire team.  The individual had to have surgery to repair the vocal cords that had been damaged.  In that instant, the Lord reminded the team that it was more important to keep the peace between brothers and sisters because he has everything under control.  God didn’t need the team’s help He needed the team to reflect his loving character towards their brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The team was being trained on how to use our gifts and our talents, but we could have used some cognitive training on how to respond to others who are still in the process of developing and maturing their spiritual gifts and talents.  God doesn’t need our attitudes He needs our obedience.  God requires us to love.  Even when at work whether in ministry or within an organization we should always love.  According to “Bridging the Gap from Sunday to Monday; Developing Common Ground Between Faith and Work”, God’s people are expected to be witnesses in their culture which includes work. 

References

Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2017). Work in the 21st Century: An introduction to industrial and

organizational psychology.

Wood, P. B. (2015). Bridging the gap from sunday to monday: Developing common ground

between faith and work (Order No. 3745265). Available from Religion Database.

(1756269976). Retrieved fromhttps://search.proquest.com/docview/1756269976?accountid=54847

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Love is the greatest of all the commandments

Questions to Ponder:
1.  When you are interacting with others are you putting God's love first?
2.  Is there anyone who you have challenged unjustly that you need to apologize too?
3.  Are you applying the truth of God's work to all of your relationships?