Tipping the Balance: The Ethics Course You Did Not Get In Business School.

Tipping the Balance
The Course on Ethics You Did Not Get In Business School.

Years ago when I started getting involved in Marketplace Ministry, most of the information I found was on ethics. I remember thinking how this all sounded elementary and thought it was a shame us Christian had to be told that we needed to be ethical in our workplaces. And of course I was not the perfect worker back then and I now am older and hopefully wiser. Yes, we need a refresher course or even a new approach.
This is what I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me. It had to be him because I could not have come up with this myself and I did not read it in a book. And I have read many.
I want you to picture in your mind a balance, one of those with a center pole and hanging dishes on the left and right. Now picture the person on the right with no ethics or very little ethics. It tips to the left and his way. Now picture the ethical person on the right side bringing the balance level. This is how it is when you follow the rules. But there is a problem. You follow the rules to the minimum. You do just enough to be called a good employee or business owner. I once posted a meme on Facebook picturing one of these with the caption,” The Bible says a crooked balance is an abomination to God so a good one pleases God. Give your employee an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage.”
I have seen how this will not do. To be balanced is to just get by in God’s eyes. The balance tipped to the right is showing that we not only obey the rules but we are to do more than asked. On the sermon on the mound in the Bible, taught by Jesus Christ, He teaches us this.
In Luke 6:20-36 and Matthew 5:1-48 He teaches that:

“You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. “.

Not only are we supposed to obey the commandment to not commit adultery but Kingdom Ethics says we are to go farther. Don’t even look on a woman with lust.

“You have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. “

He taught that we should not payback in revenge. If we are sued over something we’ve did and judged to pay damages, we are to pay more that the law calls for.
And we know that in those days the Romans could command a Jew to carry his pack for a mile. But Jesus says to do more, which is where the well-known phase comes from,” go the extra mile”. This means to go beyond what the law demands or what the employee handbook calls for.

This is how we tip the balance. We are to go further than is called for. Can you see that the left is the non-ethical person, the center is the worldly ethical person and the right is the Kingdom Ethical person?

I encourage you to be the one that changes the copier ink. Be the one to clean the bathroom or Heaven forbid the refrigerator. While walking through the parking lot on the way into work, pick up that piece of trash. Help that fellow co-worker when you have the time. And don’t be concerned if no one notices. Even if it does not lead to a promotion or raise. When you come under the employ of God Himself and He is behind your motivation, you will not lose. People may laugh or take advantage of you. But you cannot think on it. You must determine which ethical person you wish to be. Lean to the left, stay center of tip the balance to the Kingdom.

Wayne Brooks
02/25/2020