“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,” (Ephesians 6:6-7)

In this passage Paul was writing to slaves to instruct them in the proper attitude to have when they worked. The word slaves meant a very different thing in that day – very different than what it conjures up in our minds based on what we think of as slavery.

While they weren’t treated well by many, it must be remembered that the slavery sanctioned in the bible is very different to the slavery that occurred in the Americas in the 17th and 18th Centuries which is perhaps the popular view of slavery. Old Testament treatment of slaves was also generally more humane than the slavery practiced in other ancient civilizations. In New Testament times, many were in domestic service. Greek law protected slaves, but they could still be treated very harshly so their life certainly wasn’t an easy one,

With that in mind, Paul was writing to them to tell them the proper heart attitude to have when they worked. Perhaps The Message translation of the verse above sheds some light on what Paul was saying:

“Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God.” (Ephesians 6:6 – The Message)

Whatever we do, while it may seem in the moment we’re doing it for someone else – a client, a customer, our employer, etc. in reality we’re doing it for God and that should be how we set our heart and mind. You see, when you approach work with that attitude then when you aren’t treated well by your customer or your boss, it doesn’t really matter as you are doing your work unto God, and we know that His love for us is unconditional.

Your proper reaction and attitude in those moments when the world doesn’t expect you to respond well are what will show the heart of God to others and provide opportunities to show the love of God to the world. One of the most important thoughts you can keep in your mind is this: “You cannot control the events & circumstances of life, but you can control your reaction to those events and circumstances.”

To be a servant leader, sometimes we just need to keep in mind that we are servants first and leaders second. We must learn to model Christ-like servanthood in every situation. God has chosen us to lead. Not only must we be strong and do the work, we must be strong in our wholehearted devotion to him and remember whom we are working for! He is in control of every situation.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).