FULLY SERVING THE MASTER

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.

Ephesians 6:5-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When the Lord called me to this ministry in 2007, part of that calling was to write and teach from every word in the scriptures. Sometimes that is a challenge because there are some things addressed in God’s word that can be uncomfortable to discuss in today’s modern context. Today’s passage is one of them and yet, we find a wonderful exhortation within, one we don’t want to pass over.

First, let’s tackle the cultural matter of slavery. Obviously, it was an acceptable process in first century AD and let’s not forget it was permissible right up to December of 1865 in the United States of America before it was abolished. Despite this breakthrough in assuring personal freedom in America, modern slavery is still alive and well elsewhere. One 2022 estimate showed that as many as 50 million people in the world today are enslaved. It can be easy for us to lose sight of this truth.

This is what makes today’s passage still applicable because there are still slaves and masters in the world. Unfortunately, in many of the places where slavery is happening, the people involved don’t follow the Lord and so they wouldn’t know the scriptures. If they did, I believe anyone trying to enslave someone would realize they are enslaved in sin and therefore in a place of judgment at the hands of their heavenly Master, the supreme Master of all people. This is something we need to pray about daily, that those who enslave others would come to the Lord and realize the wrongs of their ways, setting their captives free just as God has done them through His Son, Christ Jesus.

Now, let’s look at these words embedded in this passage, words that the Apostle Paul writes to slaves but words that are applicable to everyone.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. vv.7-8

Do you consider yourself a servant of the Lord?

If so, you need to know that the New Testament Greek word most translated to “servant” is the word “doulos” and the proper definition of that word is a person enslaved to another for a lifetime. In other words, the word “doulos” should be translated as the word “slave” and inserted into our scriptures, not the word “servant”. All Christian believers are enslaved to their Lord, bound to follow Him and His will with full obedience. Jesus followers are saved from the sure eternal damnation and torment of God’s judgment and set free, liberated from the bondage of sin but they do not then have the license to do anything they desire. They move from the slavery of iniquity to the slavery of living for Jesus, the One who has set them free. And as John proclaims in His gospel, if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (John 8:36).

So Christians are slaves to their heavenly Master, the Father God, and like the Son they strive to emulate, they are to serve others, not just in part but wholeheartedly, with all their heart and mind and soul and strength.

Why?

Because this is the life that the Master expects His saved slaves to live, a life that He rewards for the good that is done, a good that is produced when Christian believers wholeheartedly serve the Lord and others in accordance with His will.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he proclaims that the Lord is always working things out for the good of those who love Him, those who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As the slaves of our great Master God, let us strive each day to serve with all that we have and all that we are for if we do, those served will get a glimpse of Jesus, the only perfect Servant who has ever lived.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com