Going Beyond the Minimum

I believe some people just barely make it to the end of the day. They don’t do one thing extra. They go to work and do the minimum. They come home to do the minimum. They have the minimum training they can have to get their jobs. They don’t want to learn another thing. They live their lives waiting for Friday nights, holidays and vacations. They hate what they do and don’t have a lot of love for who they are.

These are the people who are the last ones hired and the first ones laid off. They are only needed in desperate times. They will get you through a time when you can’t find anyone else and you must have someone. They become expendable and the company looks forward to the day when they are no longer needed. They do not care about the places they work, always believe their bosses should be paying them more and believe the company can’t do without them. All the while they are barely worth having.

This is not your story. You, on the other hand, are valuable to the place you work. You go the extra mile. You are a voracious learner. You take on new projects and do things beyond the minimum. You were the first one hired and the company will only lay you off if it is closing its doors. They will keep you during the lean times because you make more for your company than you are paid. You will find a job soon even if you do get laid off. You are that valuable to any company you work for.

Your boss knows that you can work in other places. He or she appreciates the fact that you work for him or her. This boss works to keep you.

I want everyone on my staff to be learners. I never want a staff member that can’t serve somewhere else. Each staff member should have opportunities to serve in other places. They should be asked but continue to work for me because they are called to this place. They should do more than the minimum all the time. They should be a great example of those who go the extra mile. Their character and work ethic should prove them to be examples of someone who has given their hearts to Christ. He wants them to do things with excellence.

I have seen staff members who do the minimum. They come in when it is required and leave the moment they can. They never give an extra minute of their day to the work. They learn as little as possible and gripe each time they are asked to do something beyond their routine. I see this as job rather than a call to the ministry. They value their paycheck and see no reason for a sacrifice to the Lord. They fail to understand the ministry because they fail to understand the lordship of Jesus Christ. 

Each of these “ministers” should do their churches a favor and admit they are not called into the ministry. A calling should always be a struggle. The minister should struggle to balance the ministry and their time with their families. The family should not be neglected but neither does the ministry. Their relationship with Jesus should permeate their entire lives. It should order every day, all day.

I struggle with folks who do the minimum. Some come to me for help. They have never done more than the minimum. They are laid off from the jobs frequently. They wonder why this keeps happening to them. I can tell them. They suffer for doing wrong rather than right. They suffer because they have have done the minimum.

The following scripture applies even though we no longer have slaves. We work for Him first and we will work best for our bosses.

Ephesians 6:5-8 (TNIV)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, anw with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 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. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward  each one of you for whatever good you do whether you are slave or free.