Day 3 of Testimony in the Workplace Study

 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3, ESV).”  

If you’ve been employed at any company for any amount of time, you have almost certainly come across “that person.” The person that basically does nothing until the boss shows up. Then, suddenly, they are the hardest working individual you’ve ever come across. Some of these folks skate by and manage to stay employed, but they are often found out for what they are. But in the moment, they figure they can do what they want when the eyes that matter (the boss or owner) aren’t looking. It’s a pretty common problem.  

Unless your company has video cameras everywhere and computer tracking software set up, Proverbs 15:3 is out of their reach. Their eyes are not in every place. And with that fact comes temptation. The voice in your head will say, “Nobody is watching! I can get away with it!” This is true of many temptations we face in life, of course, but let’s focus on some workplace issues that could arise.

Remembering our testimony, we should be reminded that our Savior said that He is “the truth (John 14:6).” As we represent Him, we should be truthful. Even if we aren’t caught in a lie it doesn’t mean we should lie. I, sadly, confess to having lied to cover up a mistake. “Did you call the company and ask them that question?” I remember one of my bosses asking me that, to which I lied in my response: “Yeah, I left a message, but they didn’t get back with me. I’ll call them again to see what’s going on!” The truth? I forgot to call them. I didn’t get caught, but I still lied. The important Manager knew—the One whose eyes “are in every place.” Be truthful and trustworthy to your co-workers, managers, and employees! They should be able to always believe what we say as being the truth. 

Of course, His eyes (and ears) see and hear more than just lies. We may have access to information that we could use to illegally enrich ourselves and others—it’s called insider trading. It is the type of bad moral decision that could lead to severe consequences—even prison. Imagine what that would do to my testimony? You could also be a business owner and fail to provide the pay or benefits to your employees that they deserve while parading your own wealth around. Is that morally right? 

And then we may be confronted with darker moral decisions to make. Should I hit the bar my peers after hours or on the weekend and get hammered? Should I try the drug all my co-workers use so I can fit in? Should I finally give in to the sexual advances of my boss to advance my career? Should I make flirtatious advances—“It’s just innocent flirting!” Should I buy in to or help proliferate a workplace environment of harassment? Maybe you haven’t personally been faced with any of these things, but I’m sure some of us have. They are the type of struggles that can bolster our testimony or leave it tattered in ruins. Unbelievers will have no problem using these vices and tactics to advance their own careers—maybe even ahead of you. But as Christians, we can’t let that dictate our moral choices. Pleasing God comes before furthering our careers! 

The invitations to cheat, lie, fall morally, and steal are out there for us. And they will probably always be open and available.  Just because I pass the test of my testimony today doesn’t mean I’m not going to be tested tomorrow! The tests will continue to come—maybe even more frequently or more difficult as I pass them. As they come before us, we must remember that the world is watching. How will we respond as a believer? Saying “no” might lead to some sort of embarrassment before your peers—but that’s just fine. It’s fine because His eyes—our Lord’s eyes—are always watching, and that’s the important part. He sees us sitting at our desks. He sees us standing around the water cooler shooting the breeze. He sees us when we leave the office, and knows exactly what we’re doing every hour of every day. To Him, there are no moral gray areas. That alone should motivate our moral compass to be directed toward Him.      

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Day 3 of Testimony in the Workplace Study

 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3, ESV).”  

If you’ve been employed at any company for any amount of time, you have almost certainly come across “that person.” The person that basically does nothing until the boss shows up. Then, suddenly, they are the hardest working individual you’ve ever come across. Some of these folks skate by and manage to stay employed, but they are often found out for what they are. But in the moment, they figure they can do what they want when the eyes that matter (the boss or owner) aren’t looking. It’s a pretty common problem.  

Unless your company has video cameras everywhere and computer tracking software set up, Proverbs 15:3 is out of their reach. Their eyes are not in every place. And with that fact comes temptation. The voice in your head will say, “Nobody is watching! I can get away with it!” This is true of many temptations we face in life, of course, but let’s focus on some workplace issues that could arise.

Remembering our testimony, we should be reminded that our Savior said that He is “the truth (John 14:6).” As we represent Him, we should be truthful. Even if we aren’t caught in a lie it doesn’t mean we should lie. I, sadly, confess to having lied to cover up a mistake. “Did you call the company and ask them that question?” I remember one of my bosses asking me that, to which I lied in my response: “Yeah, I left a message, but they didn’t get back with me. I’ll call them again to see what’s going on!” The truth? I forgot to call them. I didn’t get caught, but I still lied. The important Manager knew—the One whose eyes “are in every place.” Be truthful and trustworthy to your co-workers, managers, and employees! They should be able to always believe what we say as being the truth. 

Of course, His eyes (and ears) see and hear more than just lies. We may have access to information that we could use to illegally enrich ourselves and others—it’s called insider trading. It is the type of bad moral decision that could lead to severe consequences—even prison. Imagine what that would do to my testimony? You could also be a business owner and fail to provide the pay or benefits to your employees that they deserve while parading your own wealth around. Is that morally right? 

And then we may be confronted with darker moral decisions to make. Should I hit the bar my peers after hours or on the weekend and get hammered? Should I try the drug all my co-workers use so I can fit in? Should I finally give in to the sexual advances of my boss to advance my career? Should I make flirtatious advances—“It’s just innocent flirting!” Should I buy in to or help proliferate a workplace environment of harassment? Maybe you haven’t personally been faced with any of these things, but I’m sure some of us have. They are the type of struggles that can bolster our testimony or leave it tattered in ruins. Unbelievers will have no problem using these vices and tactics to advance their own careers—maybe even ahead of you. But as Christians, we can’t let that dictate our moral choices. Pleasing God comes before furthering our careers! 

The invitations to cheat, lie, fall morally, and steal are out there for us. And they will probably always be open and available.  Just because I pass the test of my testimony today doesn’t mean I’m not going to be tested tomorrow! The tests will continue to come—maybe even more frequently or more difficult as I pass them. As they come before us, we must remember that the world is watching. How will we respond as a believer? Saying “no” might lead to some sort of embarrassment before your peers—but that’s just fine. It’s fine because His eyes—our Lord’s eyes—are always watching, and that’s the important part. He sees us sitting at our desks. He sees us standing around the water cooler shooting the breeze. He sees us when we leave the office, and knows exactly what we’re doing every hour of every day. To Him, there are no moral gray areas. That alone should motivate our moral compass to be directed toward Him. 

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. jkdraper

    There was someone I worked with who was always skating by and my coworkers and I were always frustrated with the person seemingly getting away with it. It turned out management is very aware of the person and their work patterns. It was a reminder to me that, yes, the management team is monitoring what we’re doing, but also there is Someone who sees everything, even what our management team might miss!

  2. Daniel Petterson

    Amen to that!

  3. Josh

    The Import Manager comment is going to stick with me.

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