Friday Thought – June 26, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“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 like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8)

I can’t imagine a much more difficult kind of life than the life of a slave. A slave’s time was not his own, he was bound to be available to the master whenever the master called for him. A slave had no choice about what kind of work he was going to do, he was bound to do whatever the master asked of him, no matter how distasteful it was. Even a slave’s life was not his own, his life was in his master’s hand. Roman law allowed a slave master to kill his own slaves without penalty.

Being a slave is not a life I would ever choose. It’s not a life I can imagine having any satisfaction. My human way of thinking says that a slave should do anything and everything within his power, legal or illegal, in order to free himself from bondage. My human way of thinking says that those who are not slaves should work to free slaves no matter what would be required to do it, even Civil War!

But God didn’t instruct slaves to rebel against their masters in order to gain their freedom. God did not instruct others to rise in revolt to free those who were held in bondage. Instead, God’s instructions focused on the slave doing what was right in the midst of his bondage. It focused not on working to get free from slavery, but on being the best slave possible, serving his master and even doing it out of a willing heart!

And here was God’s promise to slaves: the Lord would reward the slave for how he served as a slave. Do what’s right in this life – even in a horribly wrong situation – and God will take note and reward us. God isn’t just interested in the spiritual things we do, God is interested in every aspect of our lives. At work, at home, at school, at play – do what is right, and God will take note.

His, by Grace,

Steve