Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord…they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. But Samuel was ministering before the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:18
A difficult situation for any Christian is when they find themselves working under ungodly leadership. Or in an ungodly environment.
This can be true in your business.
Unfortunately, sometimes even in your church.
The hard thing is knowing what you should do.
Should you leave? Should you put forth your best effort?
Is it even possible to serve God faithfully in this kind of situation?
Samuel found himself in this kind of dilemma. Eli’s sons were abusing their priestly duties. And Eli was doing nothing about it. It wasn’t the ideal situation to serve God in. But it was the situation Samuel found himself in.
What’s interesting is that when Samuel enters the story, there’s no comment about his attitude towards his leaders. No hint that he wrestled with what he should be doing. It simply states that unlike Eli’s sons, Samuel was ministering before the Lord.
He was simply doing what God had called him to do.
He was doing what he was supposed to be doing.
I think that should encourage you. You can serve God acceptably under ungodly leadership. Like He did with Eli and his sons, God is going to deal with your leader and coworkers in one way or another. In the meantime, focus on your own faithfulness.
Are there times when it’s acceptable to leave? Of course. But the conditions you’re working in don’t have to be perfect for you to do what you should be doing. God isn’t going to judge you based on the faithfulness of the leader you serve under. Or the people you work around. He’s going to judge you based on your faithfulness to what He has called you to do.
So regardless of what kind of working situation you find yourself in today, go do it. And do it as if you’re ministering before the Lord. Because you are.
