“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.” (Ephesians 6:5-9 ESV)
If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, then we are willing bondservants of our Lord, and we are to be those who are serving the Lord with our lives in the areas of ministry to which our Lord has called us as his faithful servants and messengers. Therefore we are to be those who make it our practice to deny self, to die daily to sin, and to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living. And if serving the Lord with our lives is what we do, then it will be reflected in all aspects of our daily lives and practice.
Now, slavery is not something that is generally practiced here in America as it was at one time, but I can’t say with any confidence that there is not slavery still taking place in my country. If there is, I would suspect that it is in some form of something that is illegal, immoral, and/or abusive, i.e. having to do with forcing of people into some type of submission to what is sinful and not of God. But we are never to submit to sin, no matter who might be over us in authority and might command that we commit sin.
So, if I am going to apply the teachings of this passage to the lives of people in my country, I would most likely use the term “boss” in place of “master,” and I would presume that this is speaking of people working jobs for other people who are their bosses. And we are to obey those in positions of authority over us with the exception of we are not to obey sin and what is clearly against the Lord and against his word and against his will and purpose for our lives. But we are to give our best to our employers.
In fact, we are to obey our earthly bosses (employers) as we would obey Christ, and if we are obeying Christ we are not making a practice of sin. But we are to obey our employers with the same diligence and integrity and commitment as all of us should be obeying our Lord, if truly he is Lord of our lives and we are truly his by genuine faith in him. So we should never cheat our employers or steal from them, not even steal the time we are supposed to be working for them, for how we behave says what we really believe.
Now this is certainly not saying that we will be perfect people in everything that we do and say, but that our mission and goal and purpose in life should be to die to sin daily and to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living, and to live exemplary lives as testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel of salvation, and so that others will want to know Jesus, too, and to serve him with their lives. For we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth in spreading the truth of the gospel to the people.
Even if we do not agree with our employers, we are responsible to do what they tell us to do, with the biblical exceptions mentioned, or for health exceptions. And if we are free to choose where we want to work, we can always go someplace else if the job is not working out for us. But not everyone has that option. But how we live and how we treat other people serves as a testimony for our walks of faith in the Lord, either in a good way or in a bad way, depending on how we treat our employers and/or other employees.
Now, just for the record, I do not work a secular job in any industry where I have a human employer, although I have in the past. For the past 20 years I have been working for the Lord out of my home, with no money exchanging hands with anyone, i.e. I don’t work for money. I volunteer my time in ministry full-time in service to my Lord in heart response to his calling upon my life, but I treat this job (assignment from God) with the same diligence and commitment as I would if I was getting paid money for my work.
So, this passage of Scripture does not apply to me in quite the same way as it would someone who is working for an employer, but the message is still for me that whatever job I am given to do by the Lord that I am to do it as unto the Lord and to take it seriously and to give it my very best. And I am to do it as a bondservant of Jesus Christ with a good will as to the Lord, and not to man, knowing that whatever good that God gives me to do, there will be blessings from the Lord, in return, and fruit for my labors, all from God!
And if you are in a position of authority over anyone, either as an employer (a boss) or as a slave master or as a pastor or elder of a church congregation, you should treat your employees or your slaves or the Lord’s sheep (the body of Christ) in the same manner, not under compulsion, but willingly, and not for shameful gain, but eagerly, and not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory (see 1 Peter 5:1-4).
[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70
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