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4 October 2007
Ephesians 6 v 5-9
Slaves, obey your masters here on earth with fear and respect and from a sincere heart, just as you obey Christ. You must do this not only while they are watching you, to please them. With all your heart you must do what God wants as people who are obeying Christ. Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women. Remember that the Lord will give a reward to everyone, slave or free, for doing good.
Masters, in the same way, be good to your slaves. Do not threaten them. Remember that the One who is your Master and their Master is in heaven, and he treats everyone alike.
Having told husbands, wives, children and parents how their commitment to Christ should affect their relationships, Paul's on a roll here and moves on to explore what impact our upward relationship with Jesus has on outward relationships at work.
You're probably not a slave or a slave-owner, so who is your 'master'? Maybe a teacher or an employer, an older brother/sister or basically anyone who's got authority over you. The point is, these are the people we don't have any control over - my brother's bigger than me and there's nothing I can do about it. But we can control our side of the relationship.
Writing from prison, Paul must understand the sense of 'INJUSTICE!' that we all feel when we are wrongly punished, but still, he doesn't say respect your masters only if they respect you. Instead he writes: 'work as if you were serving the Lord', encouraging us to live with our feet fixed firmly on the ground but with our eyes fixed on Jesus. He's saying, see Christ in the everyday - glorify Christ by working hard, respect Jesus by showing respect to teachers, even when they don't act like Jesus, and honour Him by living with integrity.
Also think about how we can honour Him in the way we treat those under our authority like younger siblings.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the example you have given us of how to live a life of service. Lead today, your servant. Reveal yourself to me today in the everyday, and show me how to honour you, even when I'm pushed to my limits. Amen
Written by Tom thingyburn
Ephesians 6 v 5-9
Slaves, obey your masters here on earth with fear and respect and from a sincere heart, just as you obey Christ. You must do this not only while they are watching you, to please them. With all your heart you must do what God wants as people who are obeying Christ. Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women. Remember that the Lord will give a reward to everyone, slave or free, for doing good.
Masters, in the same way, be good to your slaves. Do not threaten them. Remember that the One who is your Master and their Master is in heaven, and he treats everyone alike.
Having told husbands, wives, children and parents how their commitment to Christ should affect their relationships, Paul's on a roll here and moves on to explore what impact our upward relationship with Jesus has on outward relationships at work.
You're probably not a slave or a slave-owner, so who is your 'master'? Maybe a teacher or an employer, an older brother/sister or basically anyone who's got authority over you. The point is, these are the people we don't have any control over - my brother's bigger than me and there's nothing I can do about it. But we can control our side of the relationship.
Writing from prison, Paul must understand the sense of 'INJUSTICE!' that we all feel when we are wrongly punished, but still, he doesn't say respect your masters only if they respect you. Instead he writes: 'work as if you were serving the Lord', encouraging us to live with our feet fixed firmly on the ground but with our eyes fixed on Jesus. He's saying, see Christ in the everyday - glorify Christ by working hard, respect Jesus by showing respect to teachers, even when they don't act like Jesus, and honour Him by living with integrity.
Also think about how we can honour Him in the way we treat those under our authority like younger siblings.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the example you have given us of how to live a life of service. Lead today, your servant. Reveal yourself to me today in the everyday, and show me how to honour you, even when I'm pushed to my limits. Amen
Written by Tom thingyburn
