As I write this, there's a man on the top of my roof at home cleaning the gutters of my house, which are clogged with leaf debris from the past few years. My roof is couple stories high, and it's going to be a dirty job. I tried to go up on my roof once with a very long ladder. I didn't make it, because it was too high and I was too wobbly on the top of the ladder. I asked him to be careful, and I'm praying he's safe.
I'm reminded today, the Bible gives instructions for "servants" and "masters" (I believe the modern equivalent we use today is "bosses", and "employees"), to be good to their servants (Eph 6:5-9 - Paraphrase). The Bible there uses the words 'Masters', and 'Servants' or 'Slaves', but my understanding is I can apply this passage to my job - I should work hard (as a servant) where I'm at, and wherever I'm a 'boss' I should apply this passage too.
Most of us aren't bosses in a company, but I realized that we are bosses in many ways. For example, when we go out to eat at a restaurant or to a coffee shop or something, people are serving us. Or even when we are shopping at the grocery store, there are people serving us at the checkout. The minimum we can do is be patient and gracious with them when they make mistakes, and try to have a warm smile toward them. Probably every one of them is getting so many frowns and complaints all day. This is one area we can be a 'light' in the world (like Jesus was, to show what God is like) when the darkness of the world is constant negativity, complaining and inconsideration:
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
...
2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 2:15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world"
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
The Lord is very practical, about how we treat others with a Christlike, considerate heart. Even so many verses in the Old Testament have challenged me in this way. Consider this:
Deut 23:24 "When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, then you may eat grapes until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your basket."
Did God write that in His Word so we can think of it when we are walking through vineyards? :) It's saying simply: "Don't take advantage of people"
For example - in the home, we as a family help each other. That's good. That's like "eating grapes" among each other's vineyards. But as a father and husband, do I assign my spouse and kids as servants to do things and favors for me which I could do myself, but out of laziness I don't want to get up and do it myself? I believe that's "filling up my basket with someone else's grapes." The Bible says, "each one should bear their own load" (Gal 6:5). I want to set an example for my family of diligence. And our kids need our help as they are young, but as they get older I realize I want to teach them diligence, and hard work, so they can grow to be independent.
Here is one which has been another practical guidance for me with regard to how we treat people who are "serving" us:
Leviticus 23:22 'When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"
"You shall not reap to the very corners of your field"
What does that mean?
Some years ago when I was at a coffee shop and there was some change leftover, there was a tip jar. It's not an obligation, but I was reminded of this verse. I have a little bit of 'harvest' left in the 'corner' (change leftover), and it's easy enough to leave it for those who are working for less. This is not a command that everyone has to do that, but for me it's just a reminder to consider those who are serving us... and perhaps don't have as much as we do.
We have hired a math tutor for our kids for a couple of years. He is a very good teacher, and never asked for a raise to his lesson rate, and I felt he was giving us a good price to begin with. I felt we were underpaying him by that time. I prayed about it and felt the Lord say, "don't wait for him.. you should offer it so you can give him what's right".
It wasn't a big raise, but I felt it could be a token of gratitude, and it made things right and fair with regard to what we should be giving him.
Righteousness is in the small things.
Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."
STINGINESS
Also, the Lord has taught me that it is a great sin to be 'stingy'. I should be frugal, but not 'stingy', and it's important to know the difference.
Prov 23:6-7 (NLT) "Don’t eat with people who are stingy; ... They are always thinking about how much it costs."
One time I stopped on the side of the road to buy fruit from someone who was selling it there. When I asked how much it cost, I was surprised and thought it was too much, and so I haggled with him until he dropped the price.
Afterwards, my wife corrected me, and asked me to consider this person's situation. This is probably his job, and it could be his only source of income. And he is working on the side of the road to provide for himself, and potentially his family. He's likely working just to make ends meet. My wife was right, and I was very convicted because I realized - my response sprang from love of money in myself, but also a lack of consideration. This person who probably has a very hard life, I was struggling with him for just $1. I am determined to never do that again, and importantly from here on out to CONSIDER the other person's situation (Php 2:4) when I'm interacting with 'servants'.
Being frugal is important. But frugality should come at my own cost... if it comes at the cost of giving someone else what is right, that is not of the Lord's heart.
CONCLUSION
Righteousness is in the small things. May the Lord help us to grow in humility and consider others more important than ourselves. To not love money... especially to not love it more than people. To have the heart of Christ which 'considers others' (considers their situation, sympathizes with them). So we can walk the same way that God did toward us. If He did not consider us from love, we would have no hope.
God is love. And love is generous (giving, selfless, thinking of others). By God's grace may we follow His steps and the way that Jesus lived on earth too.