Ephesians (W11D2) The Right Motivation

Week 11. Tuesday: The Right Motivation

PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.

READ: Ephesians 6:6

6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words

• Win Their Favor (Greek: anthrōpareskos): men-pleasers, courting the favor of others

• This refers to having a selfish motivation.

• We do not serve our leaders just so they will be impressed with us. We serve them because God commands us to. We owe our obedience to those God has placed in authority over us (Colossians 3:22).

• Eye Is On You (Greek: ophthalmodoulia): eyeservice

• This refers to performing tasks with diligence when being watched and being sluggish when not being watched.

• This is an issue of integrity. If we only work hard when the boss is present, we are cheating them and stealing from them.

• Slaves of Christ (Greek: doulos Christos): faithful servants of Christ

• From Your Heart (Greek: ek psychē): the soul, the essence of our existence

• We obey Christ because He indwells the deepest part of us.

• Because Christ lives in us we ought to serve our leaders for Christ’s sake.

APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?

As Christian workers, we should always serve our leaders with integrity. While it is common to only work hard when our boss or supervisor is present, Christians should set a different example. Our leaders should know that we are working diligently in their presence and in their absence. Not to only to win their favor, but to honor and respect our leaders.

Why is it important to work with integrity?

What are the consequences of not working with integrity?

Do you work hard for recognition or because it’s the right thing to do?

PRAY: Ask God to help be a person of integrity in every area that you serve others.