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June 24, 2007
Being the Servant and the Served
By Space Eagle
In a time when Republican politics preaches, "Take from the needy and give to the greedy," and the "Christian Right" is neither Christian nor right, we need to take a look at how we treat one another.
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Being the Servant and the Served
Matthew 20:20-28
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
They say unto him, We are able.
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
If you wish to be great in the kingdom of God, you must make yourself small here. If you wish to be great in the Kingdom of God, you must learn to minister to the needs of others. If you wish to rule over others, you must learn to serve others.
If you see that someone has a problem and you won’t even bother to TRY to help, why should they have confidence in you to lead them? If you’ve never served anyone, how will you know how to properly be served? How will they trust you to know when to reward or punish them if you don’t understand what they are doing?
If you put someone in charge of an operating petroleum unit and they don’t understand the operations, the dangers, the problems, the workload, the stress level, etc, they are more likely to cause an explosion than increase productivity. They can order an operator to turn the wrong valve, they can order an operator into an area with a leaking valve, they can disregard a problem with a control valve, they can reduce the workforce below the level where the operators can safely handle a problem situation, and they can require too much of an operator during a stressful situation.
Similar problems can occur in almost every work environment, though they don’t always have physically explosive results as with refineries and chemical plants. Sometimes the “explosions” are internal. Look at the problems the U.S. Post Office had with employees going “postal.” Anytime you require the unreasonable of an employee, it can lead to problems. Employers and employees alike should try to understand one another. The employer needs results and the employees need fair treatment and wages. Neither can stand alone effectively, so it is mutually beneficial to try to be understanding and respectful of one another.
How does it help to tear down an employee or insult your employer? Shouldn’t you both be working toward common goals? If the employer profits, he or she will be able to maintain your wages. If the employee profits, he will have a better attitude and be more productive.
If the employer rakes in windfall profits and decides to cut bonuses and pay raises, as happened with an old employer of mine which will remain unnamed, the employees will become bitter. This has a negative effect on both parties.
If the employees refuse to help during a crunch in business and the employer faces losses, he will have to cut back on overtime and/or workforce. The employee may lose his job and the employer may lose productivity, the ability to supply customers, or even, the business. This has a negative effect on both parties.
If the employer and employees respect one another and help one another, the business and the employees will generally thrive. Instead of trying to find blame all the time, try to find what is good. Be considerate of one another and try to be understanding when things go wrong. This will have a positive effect on both parties.
Love, Hope, Peace, & Christ Be With You.
Spoof writer, video maker, Christian against Bush, Musician, Singer/Songwriter, Arranger, Composer, Space Eagle is my Cherokee name.
Happily married
Worked on Ron Paul DVD for the Iowa Straw Poll Campaign.
Work for truth about 9/11
Work for Truth, Justice, and the American Way (as perceived by our Forefathers)
Wrote "A Faerie Tale," "A Sterilized World," and "An End to Earth"
Wrote and created many videos on YouTube
Wrote and created two videos for Ron Paul's campaign.