“The Mistreated Employee” 

1 Peter 2:19 KJV

[19] “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.”

     What if your boss wanted you to lie for him or be dishonest in a financial wrongdoing? What is a Christian supposed to do in this situation? We must always be honest and refuse to do wrong, even if it means unpleasant consequences. We are to refuse to sin for the company’s sake or the benefit of our superiors. 

     Peter says that making the right choice could lead to suffering wrongfully. You may endure mistreatment because you have done what’s right in the sight of God. He reminds us in this verse that you may have to endure grief for choosing your character over your career. You may not receive a promotion because you won’t cheat and lie your way to the top. 

     We must remember first that our Bible teaches that it is thankworthy if we suffer for being an honest employee rather than a dishonest one. The boss might get upset, but the God of Heaven will be pleased. Our loyalty must be to Him above any other. Being a good employee means working hard and being honest in our dealings. We cannot allow fleshly desires on the job to cause us to compromise our Christian character. 

     Another thing to remember is no matter how the employer treats us, it is God who signs our paycheck. It is the Lord who gives us promotions and demotions in life. If He allows these things to happen on the job, it is for His glory and our good. Do not base your decision to stay or leave a job solely on the treatment you receive. We should not have the attitude that if they treat me fairly, I will continue, and if not, I will leave. Pray that your job will be God’s will for your life. 

     That means you stay until the Lord tells you to go or opens another door. That means you never cheat or lie on the job to please your boss, but be honest and work hard. They may not appreciate your character and treat you wrongfully, but if you endure grief for a paycheck because you did what was right, remember our verse says that this is thankworthy! God will reward your honesty even if others do not.