Rendering Service with Good Will

Ephesians 6:5-9 ESV

“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” 

Now a bondservant is a slave, and a slave is someone who belongs to another, a person without any ownership rights of his own. In the New Testament this is often a term used to describe the role of a believer in Christ in relation to Christ as his Lord and Master, who willingly lives under Christ’s authority as His devoted follower. And so today I am going to talk about this in relation to people who willingly bring themselves under the authority of another person in a position of servitude.

Most people on this earth, I would assume, have to have at least one person in their households who holds down a paying job in order to pay the bills and so that they can eat and live. So I believe we can relate this passage of Scripture to those who are working for pay and who have willingly agreed to come under the authority of another person who they call their “boss.” For if you work for another person, you are required to do what your boss tells you to do, for that is the reason that you get paid.

So, as those who willingly place ourselves under the authority of another to work for that person for pay, we are required to obey the one called “boss,” unless, of course, we are being told to do something sinful. We do not have to obey sin, for we are to obey other authorities as we would obey Christ, and Christ will never require of us that we sin. But this doesn’t mean that we have to agree with our boss on everything, for we are getting paid to do what he says to do regardless of whether or not we are in agreement.

Now it says here to obey them with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. But this doesn’t mean we are to be afraid of them, but we are to treat those in authority over us with respect but also always in reverence to the Lord, so again, not in sin. For first and foremost we are to please God with our lives, and all else must flow from that.

So, if someone in authority over you asks you to lie or to cheat or to steal or to sin sexually or in any way against the Lord, you can say, “No!” You are not to put pleasing your boss above pleasing God and obeying the Lord. And this includes pastors as bosses, too. If a pastor asks you to compromise truth and righteousness and moral purity and to lie, cheat, manipulate, and use deceitful scheming and to disobey God, you can tell him “No!” Obedience to the Lord always has to come first, even if you get fired or kicked out for it.

Now we don’t obey the Lord just so we can get blessed in return. We obey our Lord and we do what he says because we love him, and because we want to serve him with our lives, and because of all that he has done for us. It is our desire to obey him, not just because we must. And we obey him because we love our fellow humans and by obeying him we are thus doing good to others and we are not deliberately and habitually sinning against them out of selfishness and self-indulgence.

But we will get rewarded by God for the good that we do. But we should do good, the good that God would have us do, because we love like he loves and because it is the loving and right thing to do, not just so we can get something in return, but regardless of whether or not we get blessed in return, and regardless of whether we might get hated, mistreated, rejected, and kicked out in return because we obeyed God. And we should even love our enemies and pray for them and do good to them.

And then this speaks here to those who are serving in positions of leadership, authority, rule, and supervision over other people who are employed by them and/or who are under their authority. You who serve in such a position are to treat your employees or those under your supervision as you should treat Jesus Christ and as you want to be treated by others, too. And this reminds me of the instructions to the overseers (elders) in the church as is described for us in 1 Peter 5:1-4:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

So, this is not about lording it over your employees. It is not about being domineering over those in your charge. Yes, you do have to command obedience, and yes you have the responsibility to make certain your employees, or those under your supervision, are doing the work they are being paid to do, but you don’t have to be harsh or bullying. First and foremost you are to lead by example, and you do need to be compassionate and sensitive, too, to your employees needs, showing them the love of God.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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