“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV
In our personal lives, how we nurture our various types of relationships is extremely important. It is worth noting that our professional relationships, like our spiritual relationships, require intentionality as well. Let’s look at a few factors to help us manage our professional relationships more effectively.
The first requirement is dedication. We must be dedicated to completing our assigned tasks without making any excuses. We are expected to demonstrate a high level of dedication in carrying out our various roles at work (Proverbs 22:29).
Another consideration is discipline. If there is a task with a deadline that must be completed, it should not be completed after the deadline; in fact, we should not wait until the deadline is approaching before we begin working on it. If we have a meeting to attend, we must respect other people’s time by arriving on time.
The third factor is honesty. We must stand up for what is right, because as Christians, we have been called to be a light in any situation in which we find ourselves (1 Peter 2:9). If our bosses at work want us to do something that is not Christ-like, we must object to it because we know better.
See what the Scripture says in Proverbs 11:3:
“The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” (NKJV)
The fourth factor is honour. We are to honour our co-workers, especially those who are in higher positions than us. Over-familiarity should not get the best of us in our interactions with them. The Bible instructs us to honour our leaders at work thus:
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” – Ephesians 6:5-6 NKJV
Finally, we must be genuine. We must be authentic in our respective careers rather than providing lip service in order to gain the favour of our employers (Colossians 3:23-24). Fakeness is not in our nature as followers of Christ. We are instructed in Colossians 3:22 to obey our masters in all things according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing God.
Bible Reading Plan: Genesis 31-32