I heard someone talking the other day about how her employer was treating her. She is performing tasks outside the scope of her position and she hasn’t had a raise since she was hired almost 3 years ago. In fact she possesses some unrelated professional qualifications that she earned at her own expense that her employer is taking advantage of to save money on certain expenses. Naturally, she feels used and the “root of bitterness” (Hebrews 12:15) is being planted in her heart and mind. If she’s not careful, this root of bitterness will spring up and cause trouble for the things that are in your heart will usually spew out of your mouth. (Hebrews 12:15 and Matthew 15:18).
Naturally these things can happen, but supernaturally we can avoid them. This friend is a Believer and therefore she is a child of God. I gave a lot of thought to her situation and below are the Top 10 reasons why she shouldn’t be bitter towards her employer; or to continue with the metaphor, why she should pluck out this root before it has a chance to grow.
- God is in charge and owns it all. (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 50:12)
- As a Believer, you are His child. (John 1:12)
- A good father wants to bless his children. (Matthew 7:11)
- God directs the hearts and minds of kings and men. (Proverbs 21:1; Proverbs 16:9)
- He has blessed your employers with their wealth and allows them to keep it. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
- He can take it away. (Job 1:21)
- You work for God. Your employer only signs the checks. (Colossians 3:23-24)
- Therefore, perform your best because you are working for the Lord.
- He will be in debt to no man and can direct your employers to bless you. (Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 21:1)
- This won’t happen if you are being a slacker and not honoring God through your employers. (Colossians 3:24-25)
The bottom line reason for bitterness is pride and thinking that we deserve to be treated better. That line of thinking can cause a lot of trouble.
More on that later…
Onword and Upwords by Dennis Brady 