The Death of the Protestant Work Ethic?

This week there were several challenges in doing my job with excellence, i.e. unto the Lord. As a supervisor it isn't enough that I do my work with excellence, I also need to enforce a standard of excellence from those that work for me. This isn't always possible with a few of my notorious folks. So when my boss exhorted me to work on their poor performance I was strongly tempted to get upset; but just before I completely lost my head, I realized that part of doing my job with excellence is agreeing that there are improvements to be made. "He who hates reproof is stupid." (Prov 12:1b, ESV)

Also this week a previous employee said that I was the best supervisor he'd ever had, and that, "you got more work out of me than anybody". I returned his compliment with praise to God who does all things well.

There's a significant need for Christians today to develop a strong work ethic. Doing their work unto the Lord, means in part, doing it with excellence. I remember several years ago Kristin and I went to a Ragamuffin concert; it was their first tour after Rich Mullins died. They didn't know the lyrics to several of the songs they played and, overall, gave a poor performance. They showed no shame for their sub-standard act; it didn't seem to matter to them. I think many Christians have a similar view towards their work. They fail to do it with excellence and therefore fail to reflect God's excellencies to those they serve.