Skip to main content

Job Description


But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (I Peter 2:9-10)

 

            Have you ever thought about working at Disneyworld? Is there some other place that you have thought would be the perfect place to work? I've heard rumors about Disneyworld and what I've heard make a lot of sense. Basically, Disneyworld is involved in the business of childhood fantasy fulfillment, which means that the employees must never do anything that disrupts that pristine image of who those princesses or other beloved characters are - down to their underwear. 
           I haven't worked for Disney, but I have worked for a retail corporation that was demanding about its employees' behavior. Like Disney, the idea is that the employees were to create an "experience" for shoppers. It might have been easier if the infrastructure and merchandise lived up to the image the employees are asked to project. I also interviewed for a position at another company that required its female employees to wear skirts, even at home, on their own time, even if they were mowing their lawn!
           It probably doesn't matter where you work. There are expectations, and some of them may not make sense to prospective employees.  Employers expect you to look, dress, speak and act in a way that presents the employer in a positive light  The more the job involve working for the public, and the better the job is, the more right the company has to demand "appropriate" behavior.
          It should be no surprise, then, when those who are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" are instructed in what it takes to look, dress, speak and act in a manner appropriate to the position. Three of the requirements listed in this passage are declaring the praise of your employer who has given you your "job," being the people of God, and receiving mercy.
           Ultimately, doing our job really involves following two basic rules. We are to love God. You  praise someone you love and you permit them to love you back. Being loved back includes the one you love loving you (showing you mercy) when you are being unlovable. We are also to love our neighbor as ourselves, to be united as a people.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more